Shirley Ballas is an English ballroom dancer and dance teacher who was born on September 17, 1960, in Wallasey, Merseyside, England, in the United Kingdom. Ballas was born and raised in Wallasey where she grew up with her brother David and mother Audrey. Her father left the family when she was only two-years-old and five years later at age 7 she would begin dancing. In the years following, Ballas became quite competitive in dancing and even moved to North Yorkshire at age 15 to partner with British Ballroom Champion Nigel Tiffany. She moved with Tiffany to London where their partnership ended. Ballas auditioned to partner with dancer Sammy Stopford. Ballas married Stopford when she was 18 but the marriage failed five years later. During their marriage, they won the Professional Latin at Blackpool Dance Festival in 1983.

Ballas remarried in the 1980s to Corky Ballas. The pair won Professional Latin at Blackpool Dance Festival in 1995 and again in 1996. Following their back-to-back victories, the couple moved to Houston, Texas in order to compete in the U.S. They had a son named Mark Ballas who was born on 1986 and went on to be a professional ballroom dancer like his parents. In 1996, Ballas began coaching dance and was a judge for both ballroom and Latin American competitions.