Shirley Ballas' stalker charged
Shirley Ballas was stalked for six years by a man who made her feel afraid to carry out her "usual day-to-day activities”.
A man has been charged for stalking Shirley Ballas for six years.
Last week, South Sefton magistrates’ court in Bootle, Merseyside heard that the 'Strictly Come Dancing' head judge, 64, experienced “persistent serious alarm or distress” at the hands of Kyle Shaw, 37, who repeatedly sent her messages online between 2017 and 2023.
The unwanted communication “had a substantial adverse effect on her usual day-to-day activities”, The Sun reports.
As well as the stalking charge, Shaw was also charged for possession of cannabis.
Shirley just recently detailed her stalking ordeal and revealed a man, who claimed to know her, had been taking photographs of her house and car, prompting her to up her security.
Speaking on The Mirror's 'Invite Only' podcast, Shirley said: "There was one particular person who was kind of stalking me. That is under investigation at the moment, as we speak. I know his computer and phone, everything has been confiscated. He was taking pictures of my house, he had my house, he had my car. So, yes, there have been times when I have been fearful.
"I meet people and they really, the majority of people are fantastic, but then once or twice you'll, they lunge.... this one particular person will lunge at me, and he really feels he knows me. He feels he knows me. But he only knows me from the TV. Or from following me on social media. And that's quite alarming.
"So, you know, I always have George, the guy who's driven me for the last five years, get out of the car first, always scanning. I wouldn't say it's the healthiest thing. You know, I like to be kind of like a free bird, but we're coming into times now where you have to be more vigilant of yourself."
As a result, Shirley is rarely out on her own and feels “nervous” being outside solo at nighttime.
Referring to former ‘This Morning’ co-host Holly Willoughby’s stalking nightmare, which saw a man found guilty of plotting to kidnap, rape and murder the 43-year-old TV presenter, she continued: "I am a very vigilant person. When I go out, I'm careful not to go alone. If it's at night, I'm always a little bit nervous. There's what you read on social media, (and then) particularly with Holly [Willoughby] - her experiences. So, yeah, I don't take anything lightly. There are many amazing people, but there are a few strange people out there. It's quite hard and makes you always a little bit more precautious.
"You're upping your level of alarms. And (now) I always tell my mum: 'I'm here, I've arrived'. I wouldn't bother normally but it's become a thing that we do. I always like to say: 'I'm safe, I'm in the right place, I'm where I should be.' Thankfully the BBC's duty of care towards me has been one thousand per cent, they have been fantastic.
"So, in some of these instances, when it was difficult - this stalker came from the north of England - I had somebody that was walking me from the hotel to here, they checked in on me to make sure that I was ok. I just felt very well protected."
