Strictly star Shirley Ballas' last photo with ex-fiancé comes as a shock amid bombshell breakup

Strictly Come Dancing judge, Shirley Ballas, has reportedly split with her long-time partner Danny Taylor - just three years after announcing their engagement

Shirley Ballas and her long-term partner looked every inch the loved-up couple in their last social media post - with the photo surprisingly showing no sign of what was to come just weeks later.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 64, got engaged to Danny Taylor, 51, three years ago, but shocked fans on Tuesday when it was announced the pair had called it quits.

In his last Instagram post, Danny can be seen snuggling Shirley in a whirlpool on holiday with a huge grin on his face. Captioning the snap - which was posted only four weeks ago - he wrote: "Lovely memory popped up there of me and the lady. See her very soon x."

Fans loved the photo in which the Latin champion also looks deliriously happy, as one replied: "What a lovely couple" while another responded: "Gorgeous couple. Love you two together."

According to recent reports, it was Shirley that made the decision to end her relationship. After news of the breakup broke, she took to her Instagram Stories to share a screenshot of a FaceTime call with her friend Alan Grundy, writing: "When you have had a tough day and you see this smile @grundyalan you can hopefully sleep. My friend for many years."

Shirley and Danny got engaged in 2021, however six months after the BBC star revealed the pair had ended their engagement, but were still in a relationship.

They first met each other in 2018 when they were starring in pantomime in Jack and the Beanstalk. Danny is also a trained ballroom dancer and has appeared in soaps like Brookside and The Bill.

Recently it's been reported that Shirley has been busy focusing on her travels and work, while Danny is also concentrating on his theatre career. Unfortunately, the distance between them - Shirley working in London and Danny living in Liverpool while travelling around the country - seems to have led to their breakup.

A source told The Sun: “As with any break-up, it is, of course, a very sad situation. She gave her all to that relationship and in the end came to the realisation that it wasn't going anywhere. She made a lot of effort to see Danny and support his theatre and panto work, travelling up and down the country."

They added: "Distance also played its part - Shirley lives in London with her mother and Danny remains based in Liverpool; that commute is a killer. But Shirley is a strong, resilient character and is looking better than ever. She will 100% bounce back - 2025 promises to be an absolute corker for her."

Shirley previously opened up about her romance with Danny, telling the Mirror she felt an instant connection with him, sharing: "I think for me it was [at] first sight. He was going through a difficult time in his relationship. We did become friends and then probably in about February I said, 'I love you Danny' and he said, 'I know'. It took a while."

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