Overview

• Ballas says a relative alerted her on her 64th birthday that Danny Taylor was missing, her number was passed to police, her messages showed as read at 2am, and he reappeared the next day acting as if nothing had happened.
• She says the incident revived memories of her brother’s 2003 suicide and reinforced the need to protect her elderly mother, crystallizing her decision to leave.
• The Strictly judge describes long‑running imbalances, saying she showered Taylor with high‑end gifts, paid for holidays and a Mini Coupé, and employed him as a PA during Covid when he was not earning.
• She recounts ignored red flags, calling Taylor a "drifter by nature," saying arguments led to days of silence and that they "weren’t growing together" as she sought peace.
• Contact since the split has been sparse with no face‑to‑face meeting despite her requests for closure, and she says her "toyboy" days are over as she promotes Best Foot Forward, out 11 September via BBC Books.