Inside Shirley Ballas' incredible transformation

Shirley Ballas never fails to offer up a glamorous appearance for the Strictly live show on Saturday night. 

However there is a lot of hard work behind the scenes going into her incredible transformation.

The head judge, 64, undergoes a strict weight loss regime each year to make sure she is in peak shape for the BBC dance show. 

Ahead of this year's 20th anniversary series, Shirley revealed she can even fit into the same jeans she wore when she was 20 years-old as she showed off her impressive weight loss. 

From intense juice diets, the controversial paradox plant diet and endless classes of yoga, MailOnline takes a look at just how the queen of Latin achieves her incredible transformation. 

Weight loss 

Shirley has revealed that each year she embarks on a weight loss journey in the run up to the start of Strictly. 

Setting herself a target back on April 14 of this year, Shirley took to Instagram as she tried on a pair of trousers she has had for over forty years. 

In a clip filmed five months prior she told followers: 'These are a pair of trousers I've had since I was 20, as you can see they are not quite zipped up, but they will be by Strictly I can assure you'. 

'It's Thursday 19th just before Strictly and I did say I wanted to get into these little trousers that I had. And here they are zipped up, but it has been some hard work but I am thrilled with the results. 

'So yes in these trousers I promised myself I would be'. 

Diet 

Shirley is also an advocate of a juice only diet and attends an annual juice retreat to get her ready for Strictly. 

At the retreat, called Juicy Oasis Portugal, guests will drink only juices for seven days. According to the website, there is no food at all - bar an optional salad upon arrival and departure. 

Guests can stay for multiple weeks, but Jason Vale, aka the Juice Master, recommends a maximum of four consecutive stays. 

Prices start at £1600 and controversially, anyone from 14 is allowed to attend.

Showing off the results after this year's retreat Shirley looked amazing in a polka dot bikini.

She captioned the snap: 'Starting day six at @juicemasterretreats feeling so much better cleaner lighter head space more clear. 

'This is a must for me yearly to get myself in a good place. @jasonvale just simply the best place ever thank you Jason for all you do for soo many people here in Portugal.'

Back in 2023 the head judge revealed she lost 9lb in just seven days at the juice camp. 

Shirley has also tried the controversial ‘plant paradox’ diet which limits the kinds of vegetables you can eat. 

The plant paradox diet claims that, while eating some types of fruit and vegetable should be encouraged, other plant foods are not as healthy as they seem. 

Followers of the diet try to avoid lectins – carbohydrate-binding proteins found in legumes like beans, lentils or chickpeas, grains and ‘nightshade’ vegetables – some of which like to grow in shady areas – such as tomatoes and bell peppers. 

The theory, first promoted by the US doctor Steven Gundry, is that these lectins can lead to weight gain and chronic disease – but there is little evidence to support this philosophy. 

She told Closer magazine: ‘I’m also doing a plant paradox diet. It consists mostly of plant-based foods such as nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. It’s all about healthy eating and not dieting. Diets don’t work. I’ve yo-yoed all my life.’

Shirley also practises intermittent fasting, which means she only eats during a six-hour window each day.

She told Weekend Magazine back in January: ‘I broke that today because I had a sliver of Parma ham. I avoid anything that’s white. If it’s not green and grown in the ground, I try not to put it in my mouth.’

There is one daily treat, though. ‘One cup of coffee a day, in a china cup. A teaspoon of brandy in it, Coffee-Mate and two brown sugars. That is the highlight of my day.’ 

Fitness regime 

As well as the strict diet, Shirley is put through her paces at the juice retreat which also involves a range of workouts and activities. 

The star attended multiple spin and yoga classes, as well as kickstarting each morning with a two-hour hike. 

She told MailOnline after her 2023 retreat: 'I lost 9lb. Yoga is definitely something I'm going to keep up throughout the whole Strictly series. I have cleansed my system too, I do colonic irrigation, I'm up at 5am every morning.

'I wasn't there to sunbathe, I was there to take every spin class, two hours hiking up hills that would put my heart rate close to 179, that's how high we were going.

'It was a tough, tough week of hard work but I came back really rejuvenated.'

After attending the retreat in 2021 she wrote on Instagram: 'Me I did it all today and I'm exhausted but feeling proud of myself. 

'The hike was just beautiful, the views breathtaking. All the classes informative and so professionally put across to all levels, so impressive. 

'I even tried volley ball today lol trampolining was an experience in itself.'

As well as yoga the star is also a fan of working out on her Peleton bike as she makes sure to keep in shape.  

Cold water therapy 

There seems to be no shortage of celebrities championing a dip in a freezing ice bath and Shirley showed off her incredible figure as she took a quick dip earlier this month. 

Looking sensational in a yellow swimsuit, the TV judge, 64, took several deep breaths as she built up the courage to slowly lower herself into the plunge pool. 

Shirley has gradually decreased the temperature of her pool after she revealed she is now able to plunge herself into waters of just three degrees, having originally began at six. 

She told her Instagram followers: 'So this morning now It's the first day of Strictly. I've done my exercise and I'm about to go in my plunge pool.

'Anyway in for a dip. Freezing. Breathe then the arms go in. Oh that's a lot of breathing.'

Once settled into the pool, Shirley revealed her progress: 'I started at six degrees, I went to four degrees, and today I'm at three degrees so I'm getting colder and colder and colder.' 

She jokingly added: 'Strength in the mind' before taking a deep breath as she built up the courage to go completely underwater in the freezing ice bath. 

Facelift  

Shirley thanked her non-surgical facelift for giving her her sparkle back thanks after she confessed visible signs of ageing affected her confidence and left her feeling depressed. 

Last September the star signed up for a year long series of NeoGen nitrogen plasma treatments with renowned cosmetic practitioner Dr. Judy Todd. 

The non-invasive procedure relies on super-heated nitrogen gas to boost the skin's collagen and elastin, thus rejuvenating the skin from within and achieving a natural look. 

Shirley decided to rejuvenate her face and neck after growing increasingly alarmed by some of the more noticeable signs of ageing, among them a loss of elasticity in the skin.  

She said: 'Contrary to what people think, I'm not the most confident person in the world. Just over a year ago, I was actually getting quite down on myself because of the appearance of my face, I'm being really serious.

'My chin and jawline were sagging, my skin was dull, I had a lot of pigmentation with sun-spots and I had little spider veins on my nose. My face just didn't sparkle and it really dented my confidence.' 

She added: 'I wanted to keep up the treatments because I just don't want my skin to fade, I want it to be glowing and bright and so I've kept having treatments about every six weeks and I'm absolutely delighted with the results. 

'Recently I have had so many comments from friends, colleagues and family saying my skin is looking amazing, and that has been a massive boost. I've just turned 63, and I'm really, really happy at how my skin is looking.' 

After her first set of procedures at the start of 2023 she was so pleased with the reaction that she decided to have further treatments with Dr. Todd. 

She said: 'Afterwards I just felt like a diamond, everything was just where it needed to be, it's really, really helped me. 

'When I look at the photographs from the first day and compare with what I look like now, I can see my skin has improved dramatically, and since January the improvement has continued to get better.'