DINH DOONG

STRICTLY’S Shirley Ballas hinted at her toyboy split with a comment about ‘unsuccessful relationships’ just weeks before the break up.

The Sun revealed yesterday that head judge Shirley, 54, had called time on her six year relationship with actor Danny Taylor, 51, to whom she got engaged in 2021

But it seems she hinted that things weren’t as rosy as they appeared in the lead up to their breakup.

Speaking on Gabby Logan’s The Mid Point podcast last month, weeks before news of her split, Shirley candidly discussed her past with relationships.

The former professional dancer admitted she couldn’t quite understand why her romantic life had been “unsuccessful” over the years.

She expressed that this could stem from her complicated relationship with her father, who left the family when she was just two

The two later reconnected in her adult life.

Reflecting on her relationships, Shirley said, “I don’t think I’ve always been successful in relationships, to be perfectly honest.

“I don’t really quite know what it is. I’m more the person that, when I leave the earth, people will remember what I helped them with.

“I don’t think I’ll be remembered for the person who had the most successful relationships.”

She speculated that her father’s absence during her formative years may have influenced her approach to relationships, adding, “I didn’t have that fatherly figure from when I was two.

“He wasn’t part of my life at all. When I got Strictly, he was a bit more friendly. I was 57 then. I didn’t have that role model of how to gauge and what to expect when you’re married

 of their split comes six months after Shirley revealed the pair had called off their engagement – but were still together.

Last night, a source said: “As with any break-up, it is, of course, a very sad situation.

“She gave her all to that relationship and in the end came to the realisation that it wasn’t going anywhere. She made a lot of effort to see Danny and support his  and panto work, travelling up and down the country.

“Distance also played its part – Shirley lives in :London with her mother and Danny remains based in Liverpool; that commute is a killer.

“But Shirley is a strong, resilient character and is looking better than ever. She will 100% bounce back – 2025 promises to be an absolute corker for her.”

The couple remain friends and still follow one another on social media. They haven’t posted together, however.

The couple met in panto in 2018, appearing in Jack and the Beanstalk.

Danny, a trained ballroom dancer, has also appeared in  including  and .

Speaking about how their romance came about, she said: “We met on panto as friends. It didn’t really take off until March… for him. I fell in love way before… I think for me it was [at] first sight. He was going through a difficult time in his relationship.

“We did become friends and then probably in about February I said, ‘I love you Danny’ and he said, ‘I know’. It took a while.”

In June twice-married Shirley, whose son Mark was a dancer and then a judge on the American version of Strictly, Dancing with The Stars, furiously denied suggestions the pair had split

She insisted things are better than ever for the couple after previously admitting she had “changed her mind” about marriage after two divorces.

She said: “Danny and I are still together contrary to anything you might read. Who knows [if we’ll get married].”