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Best Foot Forward: Life lessons from the world of dance
Brought to you by Penguin.
From bestselling author and Strictly Come Dancing’s Head Judge, Shirley Ballas, a sparkling toolkit for living your best life, and new stories from Shirley's life on and off the dance floor.
After twenty years of shiny floors, sambas, and sequins, we’re more captivated than ever by the ‘Strictly Journey’ – a contestant’s inspirational roller-coaster ride of personal growth as they learn each new routine. It’s a process that requires stamina, resilience, and an openness to total self-expression - and it teaches you as much about yourself as it does the dance.
No one knows this journey more deeply than Strictly’s Head Judge, Shirley Ballas. In Best Foot Forward, she takes you on her own personal journey, sharing the tools she’s developed to live life to the fullest.
Grounded in the world of dance, Shirley’s life lessons offer a unique toolkit for navigating everyday challenges. Each chapter is anchored by a key principle that Shirley has learned from both personal and professional experiences, collecting fascinating stories of open-mindedness (‘Listen to the Music’), self-confidence (‘Dress the Part’), managing change (‘Learn to Pivot’), working with others (‘Trust Your Partner’) and more.
Written with her trademark unguarded and nurturing style, Best Foot Forward takes you on an inspirational tour through Shirley’s toolkit for living a vibrant and fulfilling life.
Shirley Ballas 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
From bestselling author and Strictly Come Dancing’s Head Judge, Shirley Ballas, a sparkling toolkit for living your best life, and new stories from Shirley's life on and off the dance floor.
After twenty years of shiny floors, sambas, and sequins, we’re more captivated than ever by the ‘Strictly Journey’ – a contestant’s inspirational roller-coaster ride of personal growth as they learn each new routine. It’s a process that requires stamina, resilience, and an openness to total self-expression - and it teaches you as much about yourself as it does the dance.
No one knows this journey more deeply than Strictly’s Head Judge, Shirley Ballas. In Best Foot Forward, she takes you on her own personal journey, sharing the tools she’s developed to live life to the fullest.
Grounded in the world of dance, Shirley’s life lessons offer a unique toolkit for navigating everyday challenges. Each chapter is anchored by a key principle that Shirley has learned from both personal and professional experiences, collecting fascinating stories of open-mindedness (‘Listen to the Music’), self-confidence (‘Dress the Part’), managing change (‘Learn to Pivot’), working with others (‘Trust Your Partner’) and more.
Written with her trademark unguarded and nurturing style, Best Foot Forward takes you on an inspirational tour through Shirley’s toolkit for living a vibrant and fulfilling life.
Shirley Ballas 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
320 pages, Hardcover
Published December 18, 2025
6 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 18, 2026
Feeling hashtag empowered. Keeeeeeep dancing!!
February 19, 2026
Shirley, please name and shame the awful people and write in chronological order
December 15, 2025
Well what a pleasant surprise this was!! I’m not a huge fan of Shirley Ballas to be fair, but when I saw her audiobook I thought I’d give it a go….and I’m so glad I did!!
Listening to her story that she reads herself (big bonus for me when listening to autobiography’s on audiobook), I have massively changed my opinion on her! This woman is quite the fighter and definitely not a quitter, and you get a real glimpse into all the crap she’s had to deal with in her life and career!
A big plus for me too was how openly talks about her struggles, especially with menopause as it’s makes a huge impact on women’s lives!
Really really enjoyed this autobiography!
Listening to her story that she reads herself (big bonus for me when listening to autobiography’s on audiobook), I have massively changed my opinion on her! This woman is quite the fighter and definitely not a quitter, and you get a real glimpse into all the crap she’s had to deal with in her life and career!
A big plus for me too was how openly talks about her struggles, especially with menopause as it’s makes a huge impact on women’s lives!
Really really enjoyed this autobiography!
December 29, 2025
Loved this. Learned a lot about Shirley’s life and made me think we shouldn’t judge others without knowing the full story.
January 7, 2026
A brilliantly written book from Strictly’s gorgeous head judge! ✨
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews