Strictly’s Shirley Ballas reflects on not being able to see her son Mark at Christmas

Shirley Ballas spoke candidly about spending Christmas without her son Mark and boyfriend Danny due to strict Tier 4 rules amid the coronavirus crisis.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 60, reflected on her feelings during the global pandemic on Friday, as she spent Christmas with her mother Audrey, 83, and her dog Charlie.

She claimed the quiet festivities reminded her of the five years she spent the season away from home to dance competitively, with Mark celebrating the holidays with her mother and brother, and how she felt ‘massive guilt’ over being away from him.

Speaking in a column for The Sun, she said of the introduction of Tier 4 restrictions last week: ‘It brought back memories of the five Christmases I was away from my son Mark when he was growing up.

‘I was competing as a dancer in Japan, and even though I was earning a living and the money for his school fees, I remembered the massive guilt I felt leaving Mark with my mother and brother for those years.’

Shirley added that the feeling is one ‘unique’ to all mothers, as she went on: ‘I knew what it’s like to be unable to hug your child at Christmas so I realised how tough it would be for others.’

The former professional dancer shares her son with ex-husband Corky Ballas, who she was married to from 1985 to 2007. 

While she felt like she wasn’t there enough for her son, she claimed that Mark told her he understood why she had to be away for those prolonged periods of time, and felt that while he missed her they could ‘keep moving forward.’ 

And although she wasn’t able to see them in person, Shirley did say that she was able to use FaceTime to catch up with him, something she didn’t have a chance to do when her son was a child.

Adding that she never wanted to miss another Christmas together, Shirley said it ‘meant so much’ to be able to talk to him, even if they were far away from each other.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced Tier 4 restrictions to London and South-East England just a few hours before the live finale of Strictly aired, and Shirley claimed she was so upset she had to take a 20-minute breather and re-do her make-up. 

She added that while she and her fellow cast and crew members were upset by the news, they knew they had to pull it together to put on a great show. 

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