Shirley Ballas, the 65-year-old judge on Strictly Come Dancing, shares the painful reality of her 88-year-old mother Audrey’s battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Living together, Ballas balances her demanding TV schedule with full-time caregiving as Audrey’s condition worsens.
Audrey’s Worsening COPD Battle
COPD encompasses lung conditions that narrow and inflame airways, complicating breathing. Audrey, a lifelong smoker, experiences increasing coughing, choking, and wheezing. Ballas describes the progression starkly: “It’s a slow digression, it’s a slow death. My mum smoked the majority of her life. The only time she didn’t was when my brother died. Under those stressful conditions she stopped, but nobody will stop her smoking now.”
Shirley’s brother David died by suicide at age 44 in 2003 after struggling with depression. Grief led Audrey to quit smoking for 18 months before resuming.
Ballas acknowledges her mother’s choices: “She’s nearly 90, she’s going to have a whisky and a smoke and she knows what comes with it. I tell her this is what to expect, this is what’s coming if you carry on… but it’s so addictive.” She adds that Audrey will never recover.
24/7 Caregiving Demands
Audrey isolates to prevent infections, with her surroundings constantly disinfected. “If she gets a cold it can turn into pneumonia. It’s a 24/7 worry. People don’t have a clue what it takes even to care for someone with COPD,” Ballas explains.
Strictly Come Dancing Updates
Producers confirm returning professional dancers for the 24th series, set to launch in four months. The line-up features Dianne Buswell, who danced while pregnant last year and welcomed son Bowden in March; Amy Dowden, eliminated early last season with Thomas Skinner; Julian Caillon, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Lauren Oakley, and Vito Coppola.
New professionals join in 2026, while judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, and head judge Shirley Ballas return. Hosts remain unconfirmed after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s exit.
Gorka Marquez, 35, recently announced his permanent departure via Instagram, citing scheduling conflicts with Dancing With The Stars Spain. “After last year’s decision to step down as a full-time professional… I’ve decided that now is the time to hang up my dance shoes and say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing,” he wrote. Marquez reflected on a decade with the show, building his career, finding love, starting a family, and forming lifelong friendships.
