The Strictly head judge has shared the dramatic results of £4,500 worth of cosmetic treatments, which she says have reversed her skin’s ageing by over 10 years
Shirley Ballas claims to have reversed the appearance of her skin by over a decade without the use of surgery.(Image: NeoGenPlasma.co.uk)
With just days to go until the Strictly Come Dancing 2026 launch show, Shirley Ballas has unveiled the results of her £4,500 worth of aesthetic treatments. She claims to have reversed the appearance of her skin by over a decade without the use of surgery.
The popular dance competition will be returning to our screens this Saturday, September 19 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, and despite major changes to the series the judges remains the same. On the panel will once again be Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas.
Shirley has fronted the panel since 2017 and this year marks her 10th series as Strictly head judge. Looking back on her first show, the 66-year-old former World Champion dancer reflected on how unhappy she was with her appearance at the time.
She said: “I recently saw some photographs of me taken in 2017, and if I’m really honest with myself, I was quite embarrassed.
“I remember that back then I really wasn’t happy with my skin, I had sagging jowls, multiple lines and wrinkles plus lots of little age spots. I often had to rely on tinted makeup and heavy foundation to cover all those problem areas.” For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
In the past the Strictly judge explained that she has received a lot of criticism about her appearance.
She said: “I’ve had my fair share of awful comments on social media. Things like, ‘Oh, you’ve got bingo wings,’ ‘Oh, you need to see to your face, you have sagging skin,’ or, ‘Your hair looks thin.”
After years of criticism, Shirley decided to do something about it and has now undergone non-surgical aesthetic treatments at Ouronyx aesthetic clinic in central London.
She took advice from Dr Maude Calveley and was prescribed a set of topical treatments and a series of six NeoGen nitrogen plasma facials over the year which cost £750 each.
NeoGen is a nitrogen plasma treatment designed to rejuvenate the skin without surgery and is renowned for its natural looking results. It converts nitrogen gas into plasma energy delivered in pulses across the skin.
Previously, she has utilised the treatments, but this year determined that more intensive procedures were required to revitalise her skin.
Shirley says the transformation of her face has changed the tone of comments she receives online.. “Now it’s shifted and they say, ‘Yes, she’s definitely had a facelift. No one looks that good at 66.
“Well, I can assure all of you that write on social media, no facelift here, only my NeoGen.”
She explained that the improvement in her skin has made her feel increasingly confident on and off camera. Shirley said: “I’m going in front of cameras now more confident, smiling more, and really enjoying that my skin is truly glowing. “.
Shirley continued: “I never thought back then that my skin would look as beautiful and as radiant as it does now. I’m going into this next series looking better than when I started and I can honestly say this is the most confident I’ve ever felt going into a new series.
“I turned 66 a few weeks ago, and the ageing process is not slowing down, I need more support now than ever before, so I decided to up the ante on my treatments.
“I can safely say my skin hasn’t looked this good for over 10 years.”
Shirley has recently been working with her professional dancer son Mark Ballas on the US show Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro. When working together, Mark complimented his mother’s skin which made her feel extremely pleased with her decision.
She said: “While working with Mark he kept looking at me and said, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing to your face mum but you look remarkable.’ He will probably never understand how good he made me feel saying that.”
Despite recently hitting retirement age, Shirley has no intention of quitting work any day soon. She said: “My mum keeps telling me, ‘Shirley, you’re of retirement age now,’ but you know what? I don’t think I’m ever going to retire, but I am going to keep taking care of myself and taking care of my skin. I certainly don’t think I look 66.”
You can watch the Strictly Come Dancing launch show from 7.25pm on Saturday, September 19 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
