Shirley Ballas: 37-year-old man pleads guilty to stalking Strictly Come Dancing judge

Kyle Shaw, 37, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to stalking the 64-year-old star between August 31 2017 and November 29 2023. He also admitted possession of a quantity of cannabis.

The defendant, of Whetstone Lane in Birkenhead, Wirral, was given conditional bail ahead of a sentencing hearing due to take place on April 1.

Ballas, originally from Wallasey, Wirral, has been head judge on the BBC show since 2017.

Previously, South Sefton magistrates’ court in Bootle, Merseyside heard that Ballas experienced “persistent serious alarm or distress”, which she said, “had a substantial adverse effect on her usual day-to-day activities”, The Sun reports.

Shirley also detailed her stalking ordeal and also revealed that she has upped her security. Speaking on The Mirror's 'Invite Only' podcast, Shirley said: "I always have George, the guy who's driven me for the last five years, get out of the car first, always scanning. I wouldn't say it's the healthiest thing. You know, I like to be kind of like a free bird, but we're coming into times now where you have to be more vigilant of yourself."

As a result, Shirley is rarely out on her own and feels “nervous” being outside solo at nighttime.

Referring to former ‘This Morning’ co-host Holly Willoughby’s stalking nightmare, which saw a man found guilty of plotting to kidnap, rape and murder the 43-year-old TV presenter, she continued: "I am a very vigilant person. When I go out, I'm careful not to go alone. If it's at night, I'm always a little bit nervous. There's what you read on social media, (and then) particularly with Holly [Willoughby] - her experiences. So, yeah, I don't take anything lightly. There are many amazing people, but there are a few strange people out there. It's quite hard and makes you always a little bit more precautious.

"You're upping your level of alarms. And (now) I always tell my mum: 'I'm here, I've arrived'. I wouldn't bother normally but it's become a thing that we do. I always like to say: 'I'm safe, I'm in the right place, I'm where I should be.' Thankfully the BBC's duty of care towards me has been one thousand per cent, they have been fantastic.

"So, in some of these instances, when it was difficult - I had somebody that was walking me from the hotel to here, they checked in on me to make sure that I was ok. I just felt very well protected."