Shirley is a victim of the Cougar Club Curse

STRICTLY’S top judge Shirley Ballas reveals that her love life has collapsed since her success on the nation’s favourite family TV show. She’s been on just one date in three years. How can that be? After decades as a professional dancer , the 57-year- old has the body of a woman half her age. She’s glamor - ous, gorgeous, famous and rich.

My view is that she has fallen foul of the Curse of the Cougar Club — women with status and wealth who attract the wrong sort of men. To be specific, younger men.

Since her two bitter divorces, Shirley has dated Italy’s Latin dance champion Riccardo Cocchi, who was 17 years younger than her.

Then Yegor Novikov who, at 26 years her junior , is even younger than her son, Mark . Little wonder both relationships ended in tears.

Yes, for a woman in her sixth decade to find she can still pull men almost half her age is great for her vanity.

But look at the reality for many women in the same position. They are paranoid about him seeing them in the harsh light of day , they vet restaurants to make sure the place has soft lighting.

They illuminate their homes with nothing but scented candles to soften the glaring age difference.

These women are constantly covering up their crêpey bits, mak - ing sure sleeves hide the bingo wings, lifting their chins to get rid of the turkey neck , and wondering if he’s in love with her or the money.

There’s a sad truth here. It’s simply no fun dating a man with no shared history or cultural references . . . you even have to explain who Margaret Thatcher was. And it ’s not just middle-aged women who can’t resist the younger man.

Look at poor ‘old’ Cheryl T weedy, 35, dumped by the vacuous former boy band backing singer Liam Payne, 24. He wooed her and used her to get some notoriety after One Direction split up. Now she’s alone (except for the baby).

Yes there are notable exceptions, such as Joan Collins and her hus - band Percy, whose love overcomes their 32-year age difference.

Yet mostly we feel happiest with people our own age, loving each other’s laughter lines and singing along to music with a man who knows Dire Straits is a rock band not a war-torn zone in the Middle East.

Shirley may have the body of a 30-year-old, but she has the glorious soul of a woman in her 50s.

Time for her to grow up and smell the roses — two dozen delivered by a man who understands her and can afford to pay for them.