A BBC icon who graces the screens on Saturday evenings has shared a glamorous throwback photo from 48 years ago. The star wowed fans on Monday (September 22) as she shared the snap, in which she put on an incredibly sultry display. The 65-year-old looked unrecognisable in the black and white photo, which she revealed was taken on her "17th birthday at the beginning of my career".
The star has maintained a successful career in the spotlight, thanks to her skills on the dancefloor, which have earned her a rightful position as an expert in her field. Best known for her role on a BBC series, the dancer returned to screens over the weekend with a brand-new instalment of the competition show, which has been on air since 2004. While the star has won several awards throughout her career in her skills-based profession, she is now seated on a judging panel as newcomers take to the dancefloor. Can you guess who it is?
If you guess Shirley Ballas, you would be correct. The Strictly Come Dancing head judge made her highly anticipated comeback to the hit competition series alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Anton Du Beke and Motsi Mabuse.
Hailing from Merseyside, the panellist has been a firm fixture on Strictly since 2017 and joined the show after taking part in its American sister show, Dancing With The Stars.
Since the 70s, Shirley has dominated the international Latin scene, scooping up numerous titles and being dubbed "the Queen of Latin" after scooping several championship titles.
In 1996, she stopped competing in dance competitions and became a dance coach and judge for ballroom and Latin American competitions.
On Saturday (September 20), the BBC aired series 23 of Strictly's launch show, which saw a fresh batch of celebrities make their debut as their professional partners were unveiled.
In the pre-recorded episode, the 15 famous faces' reactions to their pairings also finally aired before they took to the dancefloor with an impressive group routine.
The instalment proved to be yet another success for the broadcaster. Overnight figures show ratings for the 2025 launch matched 2024, peaking at 5.6 million viewers and averaging 5.4 million across the 90-minute show.
The episode also introduced two new faces to the cast of professional dancers: American ballroom star Alexis Warr and Australian dancer Julian Caillon.
Shirley teased the new series as "more iconic than ever". As she added: "We’ve got the cast of all casts and I cannot wait to be behind the desk with my fellow Judges for my ninth series. It’s a true honour to be asked to return each year to a show that means so much to the nation."
