Shirley Ballas isn't the only dancing sensation in the family - as her son Mark Ballas is a famous foxtrotter over in the US. While Shirley is well known on there shores for being the Strictly Come Dancing head judge, Mark has found fame across the pond on Dancing With The Stars.
He is competing as a professional dancer in the current season of the show with TikTok star Charli D'Amelio - and his proud mum has been sending them messages of support every week. After last week's dance, Shirley wrote on Instagram : "@markballas you are making us all so proud here in the UK. Along with so many others I just love seeing you on the floor. @charlidamelio you are continuing to inspire millions of people with your dancing and are doing marvellously each week. Love you both Xx"
Mark is the son of Queen of Latin Shirley and American ballroom champion Corky Ballas, so was always destined to be an excellent dancer.
Shirley has won numerous accolades during her career, she counts giving birth to Mark as her number one achievement.
"Giving birth to my son when I was 25 was a life highlight because having him was the best thing I ever did in my entire life," she said in December last year.
Born in Houston, Texas, in 1986, Mark grew up in London and earned a full-time slot at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts at the age of 11.
In 2005, he was awarded "Performer of the Year". He then moved on to win championships at The British Open to the World, The US Open to the World, and The International Open to the World.
The family also lived with Julianne and Derek Hough, a pair of American siblings who were coached by Shirley and came to live with them in London.
Mark and Julianne began dancing together and won the Junior Latin American Dance Championship and the gold medal at the Junior Olympics.
The 36-year-old became a pro dancer on the fifth season of Dancing with the Stars, which is of course the American version of Strictly, back in 2007.
Mark spent 18 seasons on the show, during which time he had two first place finishes with Olympic Gold Medal-winning figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and Olympic gold-medal winning gymnast Shawn Johnson.
Amongst the pick of his other celeb partners is Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol, Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins and actress Melissa Joan Hart.
But the biggest name he danced with was Kim Kardashian in 2008 - but their time together was short-lived as they were the third pair to be booted out.
While Kim may not have had a natural talent for dancing, Ballas only had kind things to say about her personality after her elimination. [She] wasn't the best dancing partner," he explained to the Orlando Sentinel at the time.
"I love her, she's awesome, we became good friends. I know the family well. Dancing was not her thing, but she's a great girl."
Mark didn't appear in Seasons 23 and 24, then after competing in the 25th edition he left, returning six years later for the current one.
Away from the ballroom, Mark played the lead role of Tony in the musical Copacabana and was the lead dancer in the UK national tour of the Spanish musical Maria de Buenos Aires.
He was the final actor to portray the role of Frankie Valli in the Broadway cast of Jersey Boys before it closed in 2017 and in 2018 he starred as Charlie Price in the musical Kinky Boots on Broadway
Last year, Shirley said: "Mark also performs on stage as an actor and singer - he was on Broadway playing Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, Charlie Price in Kinky Boots, and has had many other roles - so I get a lot of tips from him."
Mark also played an extra in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as a student from Hufflepuff House.
It was actually Mark who helped get his mum her role on Strictly, which she revealed on The One Show back in 2017.
"He gave me a little bit of a nudge, you know," she remembered. "He said, 'Why don't you try?' He'd heard Len maybe wanted to retire [so he said], 'Why don't you have a little go? I know you're qualified and you'll enjoy it'.
"So I did, and when I got the job, I fell to my knees. He was the first person I called. On FaceTime when it opened up, he just said, 'You got it, didn't you mummy?' Every day, we're exchanging and sharing."
He is married to American singer and songwriter BC Jean - and the pair formed pop rock duo Alexander Jean in 2015.
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Shirley was in the UK, while Mark was thousands of miles away in the US.
Due to travel restrictions and then Mark's stage commitments in LA along with Shirley's busy schedule, the pair did not see each other for two-and-a-half years.
"My only real wish for 2022 is that I get to cuddle my son," Shirley said in December last year.
"As has been the case for many other people as far as their loved ones are concerned, I haven't seen him for a long time - not in two-and-a-half years, in fact.
"I just want to spend some time with him, to sit and have a coffee and shoot the breeze."
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