The 65-year-old head judge discussed with Harry Corin about the persistent fear she still has from the harassment campaign.
Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas said she never leaves the house without a whistle around her neck – even when she’s taking her dog to the park – after enduring almost seven years of stalking trauma.
The 65-year-old opened up to Harry Corin about the persistent fear she still has following the relentless harassment campaign that targeted her and her family in a candid new episode of the Question the Default podcast, which was released yesterday.
How will I protect myself if I don’t ever leave the door without thinking? Shirley acknowledged that her 88-year-old mother had a significant influence on her safety, blaming her for it.
My mother still regards me as 10-years-old, she said. When I leave, she whistles at me. If I take the dog to the park, I now have to turn the whistle around my neck, and I occasionally believe it will also benefit her peace of mind. “
Shirley continued, “I could be all dollied up and have a whistle on my neck,” reflecting on the bizarre reality she currently resides in. It is quite odd. ”
The TV personality claimed that her mother had suggested a variety of protection items for her. You can’t carry a lot, of course. She decided on the whistle because knives and forks and other similar items are not transportable. ”
In the past, Shirley has spoken out about the devastating effect that bullying had on her life. She stated to the Sunday Mirror in August that life shouldn’t be that way because she is constantly looking and watching. ”
She claimed on the podcast that she has always been “hyper-vigilant,” but the stalking episode caused her worries to skyrocket. The first thing I do is check if the doors are locked, even if I’m driving, because I constantly second guess what might happen.
I’m the first one to come out of the window if someone knocks at my window when I stop. You may not want to stop and chat, but today you simply don’t, so be cautious. ”
Additionally, Shirley evoked the heartbreaking impact the circumstance had on those who were present. Because a stalker won’t just stop with you, it has an impact on your entire family and all of your friends. They want to reach your friends, but this stalking of our lives had an impact on everyone who lives there. ”
Shirley and her loved ones battled escalating events since 2017 and 2023, including Kyle Shaw, who claimed to be her late brother David’s biological son, who died in 2003. In her memoir, Best Foot Forward, Shirley revealed that Shaw even confronted and followed her mother Audrey while they were shopping in the Wirral in 2019. This was a terrifying situation that Shirley moved her mother to London to save.
Shaw received a 20-month suspended sentence on April 1, 2025, following his eventual arrest in 2023.
Source: Mirror
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