Shirley Ballas has started a whole new chapter in her career – as an author of sexy murder mystery novels.
The Strictly Come Dancing favourite, 62, has just finished editing her first work, Murder on the Dance Floor, and plans to write more.
And she says her debut novel is so racy it got her Mills & Boon-loving mum Audrey, 86, all “hot and bothered”.
Shirley said: “It’s a great sex, lies and intrigue murder mystery and a real page turner.
“My mum read it in six hours. She’s an avid reader of Mills & Boon and it got her hot and bothered. I asked her afterwards if it was good and she said she couldn’t put it down.”
Shirley teases that her creative writing has also given her an outlet for some of the things she could not include in her autobiography.
She went on: “I like to write and I have a vivid imagination. If Jackie Collins and Richard Osman’s books had a lovechild, this book would be it. It’s everything that goes on behind the scenes at places like Blackpool. You will read it and think, ‘That can’t possibly happen...’ Believe me, it does.
“When I wrote my autobiography, there was a lot I couldn’t include, so I thought, ‘I’ll go into this genre’.”
Shirley has been head judge on BBC hit Strictly since 2017 but revealed in yesterday’s Sunday Mirror that she may not return this year because of the horrific trolling she suffered during the last series.
And while her novels will keep her busy, she has other projects on the go. The Ballas Cup, a dance contest for all levels, is on May 14 and she is considering a scheme to help couples source wedding dances.
Shirley added: “It’s really exciting. I’ve been keeping myself busy and I’m in a really good place at the moment.”
- Murder on the Dance Floor by Shirley Ballas (HQ, £16.99) is out on October 12. Learn more about The Ballas Cup at theballascup.com
