Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas‘ ex-fiancé has taken to social media to gush over his new girlfriend – just a year after Shirley confirmed they had split.
Shirley, 64, and Danny Taylor, 52, dated for six years after meeting while appearing together in panto. The Strictly judge was left heartbroken after the pair ended their relationship.
Now, Danny has credited his new partner for ‘helping to keep him afloat’ over the past year.
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Shirley Ballas’ ex heaps praise on new flame
Taking to Instagram, Danny shared a series of photos to celebrate his new partner Rachel Jones’ birthday.
“Happiest of birthdays to this absolute corker! A kind, caring, hilarious powerhouse — and fabulous mum to two smashing boys — who, over the last year, has helped keep me afloat through some of the hardest and most distressing times I can remember,” he wrote alongside a series of images on Facebook.
“Keep the laughs coming! Big love, Normster xxx.”
Danny and Rachel confirmed their relationship after he shared a picture of them on holiday over the summer.
Shirley recalls Danny ‘disappearing’ before split
After their split, the Strictly star opened up about the moment it all came crashing down, on her 64th birthday when she was told by a relative Danny had gone ‘missing’.
Shirley tragically lost her brother David, who took his own life in 2003, and told the Mirror how all the emotions came flooding back in that moment. Danny is then said to have reappeared the next day, acting as if nothing had happened.
“I will never forget that day until the day I die. I remember looking across in the middle of the night and I saw my mother was just so upset, reliving all of her trauma,” she told the Mirror. Shirley added: “I just thought, this can’t go on. Not just for my sake, but my mum too.”
Despite still being in love with him, Shirley told the publication she thought “this is something I can’t continue to be a part of”.
Strictly star ‘rejected’ from a dating app
While Danny seems to have moved on, Shirley recently admitted she had been ‘rejected’ from high-profile dating app Raya.
During an appearance on BBC’s The One Show last month before heading back to the ballroom, she said: “Well, shall we say, I tried to join a dating app. Twice. And my PA got accepted and I got declined, twice!”
Read more: Real reason behind Strictly judge Shirley Ballas’ ‘moment of drama’ on Saturday night revealed
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