Nocturnal 
Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas is reportedly at risk of breaching competition rules at a major international contest because of her rumoured relationship with dancer Giuseppe Nonnis.
The 66-year-old is said to be “growing close” to the 36-year-old Italian dancer, who grew up in Cagliari and now lives in Hong Kong. Giuseppe has previously said he was inspired by Ballas since he was a child.
According to reports, the pair’s rumoured romance began to develop after they danced together in Hong Kong and Blackpool earlier this year. The timing has raised eyebrows because Ballas is due to judge Giuseppe in the Professional Latin category at the International Championships, an event often dubbed the “ballroom dance Olympics”, held at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Competition rules state that a dancer cannot enter if an immediate family member, someone from the same household, or a “de facto spouse” sits on the judging panel. Dance sources have claimed to The Sun that Giuseppe falls into that category because he reportedly stayed with Ballas during his time in the UK.
A source told the outlet: “This issue is widely discussed within the professional dance community and the organisers are aware of the concerns, but so far nothing has been done. This is the Olympics of ballroom dance, and the community feels that the rules are not being respected.”
However, a source close to Ballas has disputed that account, telling The Sun that Giuseppe does not live with her and the pair do not share a household, meaning the rumoured relationship would not breach the rules as written.
Adding to the intrigue, insiders have also claimed that Ballas previously scored Giuseppe highly at the UK Open Dance Festival in the months before their relationship is said to have blossomed, though this detail remains unconfirmed and has not been independently verified.
Why it matters
Ballas has spent years building her reputation as head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, a role that relies heavily on public trust in her impartiality. The International Championships is a separate event from the BBC show, but any suggestion that she has broken judging rules elsewhere could still raise awkward questions about her credibility as an adjudicator more broadly.
The rules dispute also highlights the tightly knit nature of the professional ballroom world, where judges, coaches and competitors frequently cross paths both on and off the dance floor. Organisers now face pressure from within the dance community to clarify whether the rules have been followed, with one source warning that “the integrity of one of the dance world’s most important competitions needs to be protected”.
What happens next
The International Championships are due to take place next week at the Royal Albert Hall, with Ballas still listed to judge the Professional Latin category that includes Giuseppe. Express.co.uk has contacted representatives for both Ballas and the International Championships for comment, and neither has yet confirmed or denied the nature of the relationship. Until organisers respond publicly, the row over whether a rule has genuinely been breached remains unresolved.
