The head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, Shirley is heralded as The Queen of Latin in ballroom dancing circles.

Born in Wallasey, she began dancing at the age of seven and by the time she reached 21, had won almost every title available to her at the time. These include; multi British Open, World Latin American, US Latin American and British National titles. She still holds the record of being the only person to have won the British Open to the World Latin American Championships in Blackpool  with two different partners. If this were not enough, Shirley has reached the final no less than 17 times and also holds the accolade of being the youngest female ever to reach these prestigious finals. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she is highly regarded and respected by many as one of the top ballroom and Latin dance teachers and adjudicators in the world.

Away from the ballroom, Shirley has guested on a number of popular television panel and game shows including; Tipping Point, Through The Keyhole, Celebrity Juice, Celebrity Catchphrase and The Crystal Maze. 

In 2018, she became the subject of the programme Who Do You Think You Are, tracing her ancestry back through time and the following year, took part in the Bigger Red Nose Climb scaling the heights of Mt Kilimanjaro in the name of charity.