His mum is a famous dancer too, so let’s meet pro Mark Ballas on Dancing with the Stars
He's danced with Kim Kardashian
Mark Ballas has been on Dancing with the Stars for nearly two decades as a professional dancer. He’s an absolute icon, so let’s meet Mark from DWTS.
View this post on Instagram
Originally from Houston, Texas, Mark is 40 years old and is one of the most decorated pros the ballroom has ever seen. He comes from dancing royalty, as his mom Shirley Ballas now judges on Strictly Come Dancing. When he was a child, the family relocated to London and he trained at the prestigious Italian Conti Academy of Dramatic Arts and earned a full scholarship.
He joined DWTS as a pro back in season five in 2007. Mark was just 21 years old which at the time made him one of the youngest pros to ever join.
Mark has won the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, also known as just the Mirrorball Trophy, an incredible three times. He first won is with Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi in season six. Then with Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson in season eight and years later with TikTok star Charli D’Amelio in season 31.
Along the way he’s danced with icons like Kim Kardashian to Bindi Irwin. And he’s racked up 11 finale appearances before “retiring” in 2022.
View this post on Instagram
Luckily for us, retirement didn’t stick for Mark. He came back for season 34 and was paired with Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt. If you watched last season then you’ll remember how show-stopping the duo was.
They were front runners since week one and basically received near-perfect scores each week. While they didn’t make it to the finale, Mark and Whitney starred together on Broadway in Chicago. He was casted as Billy Flynn, and her the classic Roxie Hart.
Now, he’s on Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro as a permanent judge instead of competing as a dancer. He sits alongside his mum evaluating 12 up-and-coming dancers competing for a spot on the main series.
For all the latest reality TV cast member news, scandals, gossip and updates – like Reality Shrine on Facebook.