Latest news with #Corky
Daily Mirror
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Shirley Ballas' ex makes rare appearance as he dances with their famous son
Shirley Ballas said her ex-husband Mark's fat-shaming used to be so bad that she can no longer eat donuts but he and the Strictly star's son Mark Jr remain close Judge Shirley Ballas' former husband took the rare step of venturing onto social media as he put on TikTok show with their son. The Strictly Come Dancing judge is twice divorced - having been married first to ballroom dancer Sammy Stopford, 68, from 1980 until 1984, then to dancer Corky Ballas, 63, from 1985 until 2007. While married to Corky - whose real name is Mark Alexander Ballas Sr - Shirley welcomed her son Mark Ballas Jr, 38, who is an established performer himself and has competed as a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars in the USA. He showed off his skills with his dad as the pair strutted together in a short video on the platform. They looked like they were taking things seriously as they captioned the clip: "Father son Samba whisk vibes" as they danced away in front of a stunning backdrop. Shirley's second marriage to American ballroom dancer Corky came after she met him at a dance competition in Canada. They wed in 1985 and remained married for 22 years before splitting in 2007. But it wasn't a happy marriage for Shirley and she detailed the problems. In her 2020 memoir, Behind The Sequins, Shirley revealed Corky had "multiple girlfriends" even when she moved to America for him, adding: "I gave up my life for that man." Shirley claims Corky fat-shamed her throughout their marriage - even when she was pregnant with their son. She alleged Corky would say: "Get too big and I'm out the door. I don't do fat, Shirley." After she developed a craving for doughnuts during her pregnancy, she claimed Corky hid a cockroach in one in a bid to stop her eating them. My husband at the time thought I was too heavy for being three months pregnant so he put a roach underneath my doughnut." Shirley said. "When I ate it, the cockroach crackled in my mouth with the legs dangling outside. This made me vomit straight away." The horrific experience meant Shirley has never eaten a doughnut again. Corky has never publicly commented on the claims. Opening up on Great Company with Jamie Laing, the four-time-engaged star said: "I'm not sure I was always in touch with my feelings. I think my first true love where I felt something really passionate was when I left Sammy and I thought I was moving in with Corky to Houston, Texas. "Six weeks after being with him and after I left my husband I realised that wasn't right either. I tried to come back but my first husband said...[Shirley threw up her middle finger] he said, 'see you'... I said to my mum, 'I'm not sure this is right for me.' She said, 'you made your bed you better lie in it.'"
USA Today
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Lulu Roman, gospel singer and longtime 'Hee Haw' castmember, dead at 78
Lulu Roman, gospel singer and longtime 'Hee Haw' castmember, dead at 78 Lulu Roman, a gospel singer and longtime star of country music variety show "Hee Haw," has died, a close friend confirmed to USA TODAY on April 24. She was 78. Roman died April 23, in Bellingham, Washington, where she had moved last year to be closer to him. The cause of death was not shared. Getting her start as a scrappy comedian and Go-Go dancer in the Texas nightclub scene, Roman's fame grew exponentially when she became a regular on "Hee Haw" − the long-running comedy sketch show that offered country music stars guest spots to perform. From 1969 well into the 1990s, Roman delighted "Hee Haw" audiences with wry humor and later a knack for gospel vocals. A bout with drug addiction sidelined her from the show briefly in the 1970s, after which she discovered Christianity and went on to record a dozen albums, including duets with Dolly Parton and George Jones. Roman performed at the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan in 1980 and was inducted into the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame in the late 1990s. "Lulu Roman was a dear friend of 40 years and she will always be remembered as one who made people laugh and smile. What better tribute is there?" country music singer T. Graham Brown said of her death in a release. "I talked to her a few days ago. We shared one last laugh and I told her that I loved her. I will really miss her. May God bless her soul." Equal parts singer and actress, Roman appeared on "Hee Haw Honeys," a spin-off of the original show, as well as the movie "Corky" and an episode of "The Love Boat." Born Bertha Louise Hable in 1946, she was placed in an orphanage at two and a half years old, where she would live until she graduated high school. Battling a thyroid issue and struggling with her weight throughout her life, Roman later discussed how growing up overweight led to bullying and how a dramatic slim-down in later years helped her to understand how sugar had been a coping mechanism during a tough childhood. Roman is survived by her eldest son, Damon. Her youngest son, Justin, died in 2017.
