It’s been decreed that Strictly Come Dancing star Shirley Ballas didn’t breach official rules after advancing her rumoured beau through a prestigious competition with her marks.
The International Championships, now part of the International Dance Festival and considered the ‘Olympics of ballroom dancing’, were held at the Royal Albert Hall this week, with Shirley, 66, a judge for the Professional Latin.
She handed Guiseppe Nonnis, with whom she’s been pictured on a cosy dog walk, and his professional partner Lele Khutsishvili ‘recalls’ in every dance style during the competition, according to The Sun.
These are marks the judges can give out to a couple to advance them to the next round, and each judge has five, with all of Shirley’s going to Guiseppe, 36, and Lele in the cha cha cha, samba, jive, rumba and the paso doble.
Despite her support, however, the professional couple finished ninth in the semi-final, after being awarded 29 out of a possible 95 marks.
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Shirley’s position as a judge in the Professional Latin had been questioned after rumours of her and Guiseppe’s close personal relationship led to complaints.
The Sun said complaints suggested it contravened British Dance Council Rule 65, which states that a competitor cannot take part if immediate family or member of the same household is on the adjudicating panel.
They claimed that as Italian dancer Guiseppe has reportedly been staying at Shirley’s home when he is in the UK, he falls into this category.
He was also, the outlet claims, spotted behind the wheel of Shirley’s £100,000 Porsche last month.
But sources close to the TV star insisted that Giuseppe ‘does not live with her and that they do not share a household, so there is no breach of the rules’, according to the publication.
Subsequently organisers agreed and determined that there had been no rule-breaking.
The friendship between the pair has also sparked rumours of romance, with Giuseppe’s ex-fiancée, Daria Chesnokova, saying it would be the ‘ultimate betrayal’.
The couple had been engaged since 2021 until they split last year.
‘I don’t want her to take my man,’ Dasha previously told The Sun, adding: ‘Shirley was my mentor for nearly two decades. I have looked up to her for years.
‘And I introduced her to Giuseppe. If they were together, I would be so hurt.’
Having known her for a long time and been ‘like a dance mum to me’, Dasha added of their possible relationship: ‘It would be like your mum taking your boyfriend.’
Shirley has been single since her split from fiancé Danny Taylor in 2024.
On last night’s Strictly episode, the 14 remaining couples took to the floor again, with Australian singer Delta Goodrem and partner Kai Widdrington topping the leaderboard after two weeks in second place.
They were given a score of 33 for their salsa on the latest episode of the BBC series, with judge Anton Du Beke saying she was ‘setting a very high bar’ this season, while Craig Revel Horwood called her performance ‘amazing’.
Olympian Tabby Stoecker was told by judge Motsi Mabuse that she was the ‘dark horse’ of the competition, after receiving 31 points for her Argentine tango with partner Mark Karmalita and coming in second.
Metro has contacted a rep for Shirley Ballas for comment.