“Sex. Lies. Backstabbing. Bed-hopping. Manipulation.”
Believe it or not, these are the words of Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas, describing the world she’s depicted in her first ever novel.
Shirley’s new book, Murder On The Dance Floor, is heavily inspired by her experiences in the hyper-competitive ballroom dancing industry, and centres around coach Lily Richmond (a thinly-veiled reimagining of Shirley herself, which she has certainly not been shy about owning up to), who is left to solve a murder with the help of one of her own students after a mysterious death in the middle of a competition.
The idea for the novel came about when Shirley was putting together her autobiography, and realised that some of the anecdotes from her ballroom days were probably not suitable to be included.
Eventually, the dancer-turned-author decided her stories were too good not to be used in some capacity, and opted to include them in a new novel set in a world she’s spent more than 50 years of her life embroiled in.
“It’s a behind the scenes look at what I think people guess in their mind goes on – and I’m just writing about it,” says. “I mean, it’s quite true to life. It’s saucy, it’s sensual, there’s lots of love going on there – and hate! And backstabbing!”
For her debut novel, Shirley has teamed up with co-writer Sheila McClure, an award-winning writer with more than 20 books for the famed romance publisher Mills And Boon under her belt – and even she was stunned by some of the Strictly star’s tales.
“I think ‘made her blush’ was an understatement,” Shirley jokes. “I think her jaw dropped to her feet. In fact, the first few times we met, she didn’t even want to write – she just wanted to listen.”
As readers follow the story, not only will they be trying to work out who the murderer in the ballroom is, but also, as Shirley puts it: “People will be intrigued to think, ‘did Shirley take part in that? Did she witness it? Or is it fiction?’. You’re going to have to guess.”
“People might be quite shocked,” she notes. “Like I say, I think they are going to read it with their friends and think, ‘could she?’, ‘did she?’ ‘maybe?’ ‘is she making it up, is it possible?’”
Murder On The Dance Floor has been described by the Queen of Latin as the “lovechild” of Richard Osman and Jackie Collins’ books, featuring the usual “cosy mystery” tropes found in the former while never shying away from some of the raunchier content associated with the latter.
“Oh, I’m alright with the raunch. I don’t mind a bit of raunch,” she laughs.
In fact, Shirley is proud to be rallying against expectations put on women in her age group, with some of the themes in her book.
“I want to inspire women of my age. I’m 63 now, we might be that age, but we’re not dead!” she insists. “We still go out, we like to dress up, we like to look nice.
“People still have sex – people don’t want to talk about it, they think that’s only for the young, but what a load of rubbish. You know, you’re more experienced, you’ve been through more things, so I think that your account of life is much stronger than someone who is in their 20s. So I think it’s a load of rubbish, personally.”
While Shirley is promoting her new book, she’s also currently in the middle of a whole new series of Strictly Come Dancing, her seventh as Head Judge.
Shirley joined the long-running competition show in 2017, taking over from the late Len Goodman when he made the decision to retire.
Reflecting on that first year, Shirley admits that landing the job came as a “huge shock”.
“I got the job when I was 57 years of age. I mean, really – who gets a job of that profile at 57?” she asks.
“So I think it changed my whole perspective, really, on what’s possible. When people are at home thinking, ‘oh I’m too old, I can’t do this and that’, I’m now pushing to say, ‘OK, keep moving forward’, because you just don’t know.”
Throughout the last seven series, Shirley has witnessed big changes to the show, most notably the introduction of same-sex pairings within the competition and more contestants with physical disabilities.
“Oh, I love it,” Shirley says of the show’s continued emphasis on diversity and inclusion.
In recent years, there have been calls for even more marginalised people to be featured on Strictly, including members of the trans community and wheelchair-users, with Shirley adding: “I think diversity and inclusivity are always a good thing, so I’m always for that. I’m sure that the BBC will include even more things when they see fit, and at a time that they feel it belongs in the show.”
As Strictly has evolved in the last seven years, so has its Head Judge.
“It’s done a lot for me,” she reveals. “It’s built a lot of confidence, since 2017, and I feel that confidence is continually growing.
“Strictly has given me a voice for all my charity work – and that’s as important to me as doing the job. And I think, also, it’s given me better body confidence, and helped me to realise that all women are different shapes and sizes, and that everyone is beautiful – whereas maybe before I just lived in this dance industry, where everybody tells you you’ve got to be as thin as a rail.”
However, it’s fair to say that Shirley’s Strictly journey hasn’t all been smooth sailing.
In recent years, she’s been very vocal about the online abuse she’s been subjected to on social media, which at one point became so severe she considered leaving the show altogether.
“That did cross my mind at a few points last year and the year before,” she shares. “But at the end of the day, I love what I do so much, and I don’t want to be maneuvered out of something that I really love because a few people – and it is a handful of people – say those most awful things that they can possibly say.
“I’ve only spoken about online trolling and online abuse because I think, if people will do it to me at my age, with my experience, at the top of my own industry, what do they do to the young people? The kids in school or the teenagers or the young men and women, what goes on for them with this social media? So, that’s the reason why I speak up sometimes, for the younger people, who perhaps don’t have a voice.”
Fortunately, Shirley acknowledges that she’s had a “much easier ride” on this year’s series, helped in no small part by having hired someone to manage her social media for her.
“I love debate,” she adds. “If you want to have a debate with me about dancing, I’m happy to do that. As long as we respect each other. I guess it comes down to respect, at the end of the day.
“It’s when it turns nasty that it’s not so good – but it’s been really good this year, so I’m doing a lot better.”
Shirley is already working on a follow-up to Murder On The Dance Floor, which will serve as the second instalment in what’s been billed as the Sequin Mysteries, and don’t worry – she’s still got plenty of scandalous stories from the vault to break out.
“Even when I’m telling Sheila stories for the second book, she just says, ‘things like this just can’t happen’,” Shirley says. “Well, they do.”
The former champion says it “never entered my head” that her dance career would one day lead to her becoming part of one of the UK’s most-watched TV shows, or launching a whole other venture as a mystery novelist.
“Life’s full of curveballs and ups and downs, it’s just about taking the good with the bad and taking things in your stride,” she says.
“People say to me, ‘how’s your day going?’, and I always say, ‘fair and partly cloudy’, because I’m always nervous about saying, ‘oh it’s going great’, because the minute you do, the next day something drastic goes wrong.”
So, with her seventh series on the Strictly panel now in full swing, what advice would she give herself on that very first day in the job?
“I would say don’t take any of the trolling to heart!” she says. “My industry is mainly run by men, And I would say to be a super strong female, and not be afraid to stand up and say how you feel, and what you think. Whereas before, I think I tended to just take everybody’s shit and take a back seat.
“But now, I think now I’ve found my voice,” she adds. “It might be a bit late in life, but I’ve found it.”
Murder On The Dance Floor by Shirley Ballas and Sheila McClure (HQ, £18.99) is out now.