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‘Now I know he’s the right person’: Shirley Ballas says lockdown has made her relationship stronger

Shirley Ballas says lockdown has made her realise Danny Taylor is the man for her.

The 59-year-old ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ judge was worried about quarantining with her 47-year-old actor beau Danny during the Covid-19 pandemic as they often spend large amounts of time apart due to their jobs but lockdown has shown her that they are meant to be.

She told The Sun newspaper: "Now, I really know he’s the right person. Four and a half months now for 24 hours. He’s a good man.

"I struggled with anxiety at the beginning. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I am not a Suzy Homemaker. We went totally without booze and I was active throughout lockdown. I just ate everything. My neighbour would make a coffee cake and I would eat the whole thing.

"I would sit and wait for the next meal. I would plan around the next meal. I would eat all day and night."

While Shirley – who has 33-year-old son Mark Ballas with ex-husband Corky Ballas – managed to get her anxiety under control, she admitted to gaining 20lbs while quarantining at her mother’s house in Liverpool.

She said: "I am fat. I can’t fit in my trousers but I am not going up another dress size. I have gained 20 pounds but I am six pounds down this morning.

"You feel a bit chunky and it plays on your mind. I would like to think that by the time ‘Strictly’ is back on air, I’ll be back at my normal weight."