As Strictly Come Dancing returns with its annual special, here are some major tragedies that have affected its judges and contestants.

Strictly’s Shirley Ballas opened up about her heartbreak (Image: ITV)

Following the emotional Strictly Come Dancing series 23 finale on Saturday (December 20), the beloved BBC competition series is back on screens for its annual star-studded special. Tonight, six celebrities will step on the festive dance floor, which has been transformed into a winter wonderland, to battle it out for the glitterball and be crowned the Strictly Christmas Champion.

With dazzling group dances and live music ahead, its stars, TV personality Scarlett Moffatt, singer Melanie Blatt, Gladiators star Jodie Ounsley, Eastenders actor Nicholas Bailey, comedian Babatunde Aléshé and Westlife’s Brian McFadden, will be paired off to make their Strictly debut. However, over the past 21 years, the show’s panel of judges and contestants have dealt with a series of tragedies, which they have candidly opened up about. Among them is former professional James Jordan, who stepped down in 2013 after eight years in the series. He opened up about having a “difficult “Christmas following the death of his father.

James Jordan left Strictly in 2013 (Image: BBC)

In 2021, the dancer revealed that his dad Allan, had died after being diagnosed with a brain tumour and candidly shared that the loss left him in a “very dark place.”

That year, James told Hello Magazine: “Christmas this year is going to be especially difficult. I think it will be different because it’s the first Christmas without my dad.

“Normally we’ll all be at my mum and dad’s, but this year I don’t think my mum wants to be at home doing Christmas dinner by herself.

“So we’re all going to a local restaurant near them for Christmas dinner instead. Which we would never normally do, we’d normally always do Christmas at home.”

Alexandra Burke opened up about her mum Melissa Bell’s death (Image: Getty)

Alexandra Burke, who famously won The X Factor in 2008, and competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, shared a heartbreaking message about spending Christmas with her mother.

The star who danced alongside Gorka Marquez had confirmed her mum’s death just months before the festive season. Melissa Bell, who was also the former lead singer of the Grammy Award-winning band Soul II Soul, died at 53 after struggling with ill-health following kidney failure in 2008.

On Christmas Day in 2017, Alexandra took to X/Twitter and penned: “Not sure how to feel… it really is a weird one. As this night goes on into Christmas Day, I just feel numb. But trying my best to do what she wanted… try and smile and make everyone else happy… x.”

She added: “A very merry Christmas to you all. Sending you all so much love on this day. For those who aren’t here with us, we must try our best to smile for them.

“Think of all the good times shared. Trying my best to stay positive for my loved ones. Have a great day, guys. All my love – AB X.”

Will opened up about dealing with guilt following his sister’s death (Image: Instagram)

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Following his 2022 participation in Strictly, Broadchurch star Will Mellor opened up about his sister’s death, revealed he dealt with guilt and shared that he had to learn how to grieve her loss.

Reflecting on the tragic loss which took place in 2012 and dealing with grief over the Christmas period and shared: “It’s really tough. Grief has a way of surprising you, it hides away.

“I thought that I was okay, I grieved the loss of my sister not too well. I turned to drink and gambling and all the things that I would advise against. But I didn’t know what to do.”

As for his guilt, the actor told the Mirror: “My sister was disabled, and she died in circumstances that I think were preventable, at the hands of a care person who didn’t give her her medication.” “We took him to court, and they ruled that because she had a disability, her heart had an issue anyway, so we couldn’t prove that was exactly what had happened. But she died in fear because of that. And I felt guilty because I was her brother, and I couldn’t help her.

“She looked at me – even though I was her younger brother – because she was mentally disabled and physically disabled she was always like a child to me. And that killed me.”

Will also faced the death of his father, Bill, in April 2020, shortly after a cancer diagnosis and during the tough Covid lockdowns.

Shirley Ballas’ brother David took his own life in 2003 (Image: ITV)

Head judge Shirley Ballas revealed she has not celebrated Christmas since the devastating loss of her brother, David, who died by suicide in 2003.

During an appearance on ITV’s Loose Women, the proclaimed Queen of Latin told the panel: “I’m going home on Saturday evening. My mum’s put a tree up for the first time – 2003 my brother took his own life.

“He died on December 5, so we haven’t celebrated Christmas at all, it was a short spell [of depression]. He had these six weeks of being really down, not really feeling up to himself.”

Shirley reflected: “My mother was with him. It was one day when my son was singing in St Paul’s Church. I spoke to David on the phone. My mother, I love her to death, but it’s not an over-communicative family.

“I don’t think I ever really understood to the great extent how sick he was. I don’t think my mum did either. She came to watch Mark at the church singing, it was that particular day David chose to take his life.”

As for their bond, Shirley added: “He was my biggest fan, you know. He was not just my brother, he was like a father figure. We’d talk every day. He had a daughter called Mary and we’d talk every day about my son and his daughter. It was difficult. I lost a big part… I always felt safe with him, very safe.”