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Dancing was in my bones from when I started ballet at two.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 2 June 2018 source ↗
The question
As a child, what career or life did you imagine for yourself?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
This is a standing question in The Guardian's decades-long The Q&A and also recurs independently in career and life interviews.
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Others on this question
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Shirley Manson
Scottish singer and songwriter; lead vocalist of Garbage
A ballerina. I remain rather disappointed that I became a rock star instead.
Professional footballer for Tottenham, or train driver.
Gregg Wallace
English broadcaster and writer
A sailor. I wanted to be in the Royal Navy like my grandad.
Rick Astley
Singer, songwriter and radio presenter
When I was about 14 and got my first drum kit, I wanted to be a drummer in a band like the Police.
More from Shirley Ballas
View profile →Getting the job on Strictly at the age of 56.
I would be much more available for my brother when he was not well and try to understand more about mental health, which I didn’t know anything about at the time.
When I found out that I was having my baby. They told me I was having a little girl and I named it Elizabeth. Then, when the baby was born it was my beautiful boy, Mark.
People close to me throwing me under a bus for a crust.
In my dreams: I’ll feel as if I am falling towards a white light and then suddenly I wake up.
We’ve Only Just Begun by The Carpenters.
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