Shirley Annette Ballas famed as Shirley Ballas is an English ballroom dancer. Moreover, she is also a dance teacher as well as a dance adjudicator. She specializes in the International Latin division, where she won several championship titles which earned her the nickname: The Queen of Latin". She got her breakthrough after winning the 1983 "International Latin American Dance Championship" with her ex-husband Sammy Stopford. In the year 1996, she finally retired from dancing professionally and took up the occupation of a dance teacher and judge for ballroom and Latin American competitions. She was appointed a head judge on the BBC TV show, "Strictly Come Dancing" following the departure of Len Goodman in the year 2017.