Shirley Ballas has been opening up about life as a grandmother!
Last week, the Strictly Come Dancing head judge became a grandparent for the very first time. Shirley’s son Mark Ballas and his wife, singer BC Jean, welcomed the birth of their son, Banksi Wylde Ballas.
Now, as her new grandson starts his life in Los Angeles, Shirley has chosen to detail how she feels about being a long-distance grandmother.
In an interview with OK!, the 63-year-old recalled how she is already helping Mark in his first few weeks as a parent.
“I’ve never been as excited about anything as I am about this, it’s absolutely joyous. My son and daughter-in-law sent out a baby list and I didn’t want my grandbaby to wait for any of it, so my mother and I got on it right away and ordered what we could. They had parcels arriving every single day,” she exclaimed.
Shirley then went on to explain how she plans to spend as much time with Banksi as possible, starting with flying over to LA to have a “second Christmas” with him.
“I have the opportunity with a grandbaby to be able to go over there. I’m extremely fortunate to be in a position now where I can do that, so I’m very excited,” she gushed.
However, the dancing star insisted that she doesn’t want to be a “part-time grandmother”.
“It’s important for me to be able to spend FaceTime with the baby. It’s a priority, but I really don’t think my family understands. I don’t think anybody sits back and thinks, ‘What if I never saw my child for six months?’” Shirley noted.
“I want to be there as much as I can be, as much as his mum and dad will allow me to be part of the baby’s life. I could spend six months there and six months here – and I can afford to. I don’t want to miss out on my grandbaby. That is instilled in my head,” she added.
