Strictly Come Dancing judge, Shirley Ballas, has opened up about her childhood and the importance of food for families in a candid chat with Hairy Bikers star, Si King
Strictly Come Dancing star, Shirley Ballas, has shared a rare insight into her childhood in a candid chat with Hairy Bikers legend, Si King.
The choreography queen, 65, who is gearing up for the sequin-strewn final of Strictly on Saturday, spoke to Si, 59, during a podcast for Sainsbury’s ‘A Recipe For…’ as she opened up about her early years on a council estate with her single mum and brother, David.
Thanking her mum for the ‘life lessons’ she taught her, while tucking into a slice of Christmas yule log, Shirley said she felt fortunate for everything she was given as a child, telling Si: “I feel fortunate that I was that little girl on a council estate raised by a single mother because the lessons she has taught me through my life are priceless.”
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Revealing that her mum had to “make sacrifices” when ballroom star Shirley was given the chance to dance as a child, she continued: “She was a single woman, doing everything on her own and even when I had the opportunity to dance, she had to make sacrifices.”
Reflecting candidly on her early years, the mum-of-one admits she was reliant on free school meals, which she and her brother both received when growing up.
During the podcast, in which she and TV cook, Si, both tuck into the Christmas treat, which is loved by Shirley’s family, the star talks about the ‘comfort and stability’ that these hot lunches provided.
Insisting that she is “forever grateful” for having access to the meals that she “remembers fondly to this day”, Shirley says: “I’d like to be an advocate for school dinners and of course, I loved it. I knew exactly where to go in the queue so they would say: ‘We’ve got extra food here so you can have two roast potatoes and more semolina pudding’.
“I’ll be forever grateful of having the subsidy of being able to get free school dinners.”
With food poverty affecting 14 million people today, Shirley also shares her thoughts on why initiatives, which help families who are struggling, are so vital — especially over the festive season.
She states: “Times are changing, and we need to shine a light on crucial matters, and that’s often about people having access to food.
“I don’t think people talk about these things enough, particularly when it comes to food and making sure we are out there taking care of people. We need to educate people when it comes to food poverty…so we can help those that have little.”
The podcast is part of Sainsbury’s Meals Make Memories campaign, launched in partnership with Comic Relief, which celebrates the memories food creates, while shining a light on the reality for the millions of people in the UK facing food poverty, who are tragically still going hungry.
The full series, including guests such as Comic Relief co-founder Lenny Henry tackling food poverty in their communities, is available to stream alongside Shirley’s episode on YouTube.
* The full interview with Shirley is on the Sainsbury’s Vodcast, ‘A Recipe For…’
