Shirley Ballas pens romance novel which left mother 'hot and bothered' trends now
Shirley Ballas is taking a new career step as the author of a sexy murder mystery novel.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 62, has compared the book to romance tales Mills & Boon, claiming the story left her mother Audrey, 85, 'hot and bothered'.
It comes as the professional dancer admitted she may not return to the Strictly panel after she received a barrage of abuse from cruel online trolls during the last series of the BBC ballroom dance contest.
She told the Mirror of her new book: 'It’s a great sex, lies and intrigue murder mystery and a real page turner.
'My mum read it in six hours. She’s an avid reader of Mills & Boon and it got her hot and bothered. I asked her afterwards if it was good and she said she couldn’t put it down.'
New direction: Shirley Ballas, 62, is taking a new career step as the author of a sexy murder mystery novel (pictured in January)
Steamy: The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 62, has compared the book to romance tales Mills & Boon (pictured on Strictly Come Dancing last year)
The twinkle-toed star added that the novel has enabled her to write about some of the things she was not able to publish in her 2020 autobiography Behind the Sequins: My Life.
She continued: 'I like to write and I have a vivid imagination. If Jackie Collins and Richard Osman’s books had a lovechild, this book would be it. It’s everything that goes on behind the scenes at places like Blackpool. You will read it and think, "That can’t possibly happen..." Believe me, it does.
'When I wrote my autobiography, there was a lot I couldn’t include, so I thought, "I’ll go into this genre".'
It comes after Shirley hinted she may not return to Strictly Come Dancing this year following the torrent of vile online abuse she received during the last series.
The head judge and Latin expert was subjected to much criticism last year in which trolls slammed her decisions and accused of ageism and sexism
And as a result, in a candid new interview, Shirley indicated that the previous series may have been her last as she'd hit an 'all-time low' after the abuse 'snowballed out of control'.
The ballroom dancer told how she was constantly left in tears after every show and struggled in silence, telling how it was 'the most negativity' she had ever faced.
It is said that BBC bosses are in talks with Shirley about coming back to the show, but she has yet to sign on the dotted line for the new series.
Hot under the collar: Shirley claims her novel's story left her mother Audrey 'hot and bothered' after reading it
Hesitant: It comes after Shirley hinted she may not return to Strictly Come Dancing this year following the torrent of vile online abuse she received during the last series
She told The Mirror: 'Last year I was struggling. It wasn’t just a little bit, it was a lot – the majority of it was in silence. I felt the abuse snowballed out of control and impacted me in such a negative way. I’m a pretty stoic person, and I tend to hold everything in.'
She explained that when the abuse began, it seemed 'larger than anything else', with the star telling how it left her 'crying and emotional', while she was 'embarrassed' about how she felt and didn't confide in anyone.
Shirley added: 'And that was an all-time low since I joined the show – it was the most negativity I’d ever
