There are plenty of changes on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, and one of the biggest freshen-ups will be seen on the judging panel. Shirley Ballas is returning to her old role as head judge but with a dramatically smoother, tauter appearance, thanks to a £4.5k non-surgical facelift.
Shirley, 66, has just unveiled the final results of her latest no-knife makeover, and says she now looks better than she did when she joined the show nearly a decade ago.
‘I recently saw some photographs of me taken in 2017, and if I’m really honest with myself, I was quite embarrassed,’ she admits, referring to the year when she made her Strictly debut. ‘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.’
Today, things are looking very different ahead of her 10th season, and Shirley says she can’t wait to show off the ‘outstanding’ results of her makeover. ‘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.’
To mark the 10th series milestone, Shirley has undergone what she describes as ‘really strong’ treatments with NeoGen Plasma, a celebrity-loved skin rejuvenator, which she’s been having since 2022. The non-surgical treatment works by releasing superheated nitrogen gas into the skin to create a ‘controlled injury’, which stimulates fresh collagen and elastin production.
‘I turned 66 a few weeks ago, and the ageing process is not slowing down,’ explains Shirley, who tops up her treatments at least once a year. ‘I need more support now than ever before, so I decided to up the ante on my treatments.’
That meant cranking up the power level, dosing up on numbing cream, and preparing for more downtime that her usual day or two. ‘My skin was shedding,’ says Shirley, of her recovery. ‘I thought my downtime would be about five days, and it was closer to 10 days. But the results by going that little bit higher on the NeoGen machine are outstanding, and I have to say I’m happier than ever with my skin.’
What did Shirley do to her skin?
Shirley underwent treatment at London's Ouronyx aesthetic clinic with Dr Maude Calveley, who prescribed a course of six NeoGen nitrogen plasma facials, which cost £750 each. This was to top up the results from some lower-energy treatments performed by Dr Johanna Ward earlier in the year.
‘I couldn’t risk having this amount of downtime when I’m filming but I can during the holidays, so I thought I’d give it a go, and it has really paid off,’ says Shirley, who posed for her final ‘after’ photos last week, once the redness and shedding had gone. ‘I can safely say my skin hasn’t looked this good for over 10 years.’
‘This year particularly, I find my skin lifting, looking brighter, looking just beautiful. Lifting up the chin, all around on my jowls. All the places that women tend to look at in the mirror and think, “Mm”. And I have to say, I am thrilled with my results.’
The results have silenced social media trolls who used to post what Shirley describes as ‘awful comments’. She explains: ‘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”.’
‘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. The treatments aren’t cheap but they are worth it as they really get results.’
Her fresh-faced look even won her compliments from her son, professional dancer Mark Ballas, when the pair worked together recently on US show Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro. ‘Mark 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,’ says Shirley.
Shirley recently hit retirement age, turning 66 earlier this month, but says she has no thoughts of quitting. ‘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.’
The doctor’s view
Shirley’s practitioner, Dr Maude Calveley gives us the lowdown
‘NeoGen delivers controlled thermal energy into the skin, which triggers its own repair response,’ Dr Calveley explains. ‘The surface layer is left intact and acts as a natural biological dressing while fresh skin forms underneath.’
'For Shirley specifically, I wanted three things: to firm the jawline and neck without surgery, even out skin tone and clear the sun damage. We have achieved all of that, including around the delicate areas around the eyes, leaving her looking just like herself, only fresher.'
‘With the increased energy treatment there was more downtime but Shirley had a five-day break before filming and by that point, there was only a minimal impact to her appearance and this could be covered with makeup.’
Shirley had her NeoGen treatments at the Ouronyx aesthetic clinic in London. NeoGen treatments available nationwide, find clinics here. Always see a registered NeoGen practitioner and remember that results vary from patient to patient.
