Shirley Ballas has never been happier thanks to her new boyfriend.
The ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ judge embarked on a romance with Daniel Taylor – who, at 44, is 14 years her junior – when they starred in panto in Liverpool together last year and she admitted she’s never experienced a love like they have together.
She told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "It’s hard to find somebody who’s compatible with you. I feel like I’ve come full circle and I’ve found somebody.
"It’s great to have found him after being single for so long. When we did our first job together he was like ‘Shirley who?’
"He’d never watched ‘Strictly’, knew nothing about me. It’s been a warm experience…
"Somebody once said to me, are you happy? I said what is happy? All I can say now is if this is what happiness is I’ve never experienced it."
The 58-year-old dance expert has introduced Daniel to her family and they have all given her their seal of approval.
She said: "The whole family and my friends love him. He has the same profession as my son, Mark. They’re both actors."
Meanwhile, Shirley is very excited to be preparing to move into a new home in London as she’s been waiting so long for the house to be ready.
She said: "I’ve been living out of a suitcase for two years. I move in in two weeks. The first thing I’ll do when I go in is sit and cry because it’s taken so long. Everything had to be rebuilt. It’s been a long process and I’ve felt homeless.
"I’ve got a boyfriend, I’ve got my home, I’m setting everything up."
Shirley feels lucky to have landed her job on ‘Strictly’ in 2017 and hinted the next new face on the panel, who will replace departing ballerina Darcey Bussell, may not be a household name to British TV viewers.
She said: "I was so fortunate to get the job at a late age especially with no TV experience. The next person may be a surprise, like I was."