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Shirley Ballas is a champion ballroom dancer, world-renowned dance teacher and adjudicator, best-selling author, and the head judge of BBC1’s flagship show Strictly Come Dancing. Originally from Wallasey, Shirley has been dancing since the age of seven. She is three-time British Open to the World Latin American champion, ten-time United States Latin American champion, and multiple-time British National champion. By 21, Shirley had won nearly every major title she competed in worldwide. She is the only person to have ever won the British Open to the World Latin American Championships in Blackpool with two different partners, and reached the finals an impressive 17 times.
- "Dancing with the public has been a real treat. It's been a blast meeting you all and sharing my knowledge with you."
Vito Coppola started dancing at the age of 7 in his father's dance school. He began competing at local competitions, before becoming 11-time Italian Champion. Despite his young age, Vito has won several competitions around the word, such as the German Open Championships, in fact the first Italian to do so. By 16, he won the British Open to the World Junior Championships held at the iconic Tower Ballroom in Blackpool. At the age of 28, after being in the Top 8 in the world, Vito decided to close his career as a competitor and start a new chapter in television. Following his
2021 win on Ballando con le Stelle in Italy, Vito arrived into the Strictly Come
Dancing ballroom in 2022 and has made all three finals with his celebrity
partners.
- "It's been a pleasure exchanging my love for dance with you all in our classes. You have all been amazing."
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