Mark Ballas and Derek Hough have spent so many years describing each other as brothers that some “Dancing with the Stars” viewers understandably assume they are related.
They are not biological brothers.
Mark Ballas is the only child of celebrated ballroom dancers Shirley Ballas and Corky Ballas, meaning he does not have biological brothers or sisters. His family story, however, is more unusual than that simple answer suggests.
During his childhood in England, Mark effectively gained two chosen siblings when Derek Hough and Julianne Hough became closely connected with the Ballas household. The young dancers trained together, lived together and developed relationships that continued long after their childhood years.
For Mark and Derek in particular, “brother” eventually became a natural description of a bond that had little to do with DNA.
An Only Child
Mark Alexander Ballas Jr. was born on May 24, 1986, in Houston, Texas.
He is the only child of Corky and Shirley Ballas, two major figures in competitive ballroom dancing.
Although Mark was born in the United States, much of his formative training took place in England.
Dance was embedded in family life from the beginning.
Corky became a highly successful Latin dancer, coach and choreographer, while Shirley developed into one of the most respected figures in international ballroom competition.
That environment put Mark on a professional path unusually early.
Famous Parents
Shirley Ballas is now familiar to millions of television viewers as a judge on the British series “Strictly Come Dancing.”
Long before becoming a television personality, however, she built an elite competitive career.
Known as the “Queen of Latin,” Shirley won major championships before moving into teaching and coaching.
Corky also became an internationally recognized ballroom competitor and instructor. American audiences later saw him compete professionally on “Dancing with the Stars.”
Growing up around two professional dancers meant Mark’s childhood revolved around rehearsals, competitions and performance.
Then the Hough family entered the picture.
Enter Derek Hough
Derek Hough was born in Utah and grew up in a large family that included four sisters.
As a child, his parents made the significant decision to send him to London so he could receive intensive dance training.
He trained under Corky and Shirley Ballas and lived with the family.
What might initially have been an arrangement centered on dance evolved into something much more personal.
Derek and Mark were close in age, shared the same home and spent enormous amounts of time together.
Mark was no longer experiencing everyday life like a conventional only child.
He effectively had another boy growing up beside him.
Like Brothers
Mark and Derek’s connection stretched far beyond sharing a dance instructor.
They have recalled living together, training together and going through their teenage years alongside one another.
The relationship became close enough that both men have repeatedly referred to the other as a brother.
That wording has occasionally created confusion for fans discovering their history later.
Derek is not Mark’s stepbrother, half-brother or biological brother. Their relationship is better understood as a chosen sibling bond created through years of shared childhood experiences.
Their connection also survived the pressures of eventually becoming high-profile performers working in the same industry.
Julianne Joins Them
Derek was not the only Hough sibling to become part of Mark’s extended family.
Julianne Hough also moved to London as a child to study dance.
Like Derek, she became deeply connected with the Ballas family while receiving intensive performing-arts training.
Mark, Derek and Julianne attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, developing skills beyond ballroom dancing.
Their education included singing, acting and other forms of performance.
Those years created a foundation that would later become remarkably important when all three emerged as major personalities on American television.
Music Together
Mark and Derek did not restrict their partnership to ballroom competitions.
As teenagers, they explored music together.
They eventually became members of the band Almost Amy, which was later renamed the Ballas Hough Band.
Mark performed vocals and played guitar, while Derek contributed vocals and guitar as well.
The group released the album “BHB” in 2009.
Although dancing ultimately became the field most strongly associated with both men, their musical collaboration demonstrated how intertwined their lives had become.
They were childhood friends, housemates, dance partners, musicians and eventually television colleagues.
DWTS Success
“Dancing with the Stars” brought Mark, Derek and Julianne back into the same professional universe.
All three became celebrated professional dancers on the ABC competition.
Mark made his debut as a professional partner in 2007 and went on to become one of the show’s most creative choreographers.
He won the Mirrorball Trophy with Kristi Yamaguchi in Season 6 and Shawn Johnson in Season 8.
After spending several years away from the ballroom, Mark returned in Season 31 and partnered TikTok star Charli D’Amelio.
They won the season, giving Mark his third championship.
Derek enjoyed an even more decorated run as a professional before becoming a judge on the series.
Julianne also won twice as a professional and later expanded her role within the franchise, eventually becoming a co-host.
Family Connection
Their television careers made the unusual childhood connection visible to a much larger audience.
Mark and Derek could compete professionally while still maintaining a relationship shaped by years of living as family.
That history also explains the emotional warmth seen when they celebrate each other’s personal and professional milestones.
It is not simply the friendship of two performers who met through “Dancing with the Stars.”
They knew each other long before television fame.
Their relationship was forged when they were children dealing with demanding training schedules and pursuing ambitions that few people their age could fully understand.
Mark Today
Mark has also built a family of his own.
He married singer-songwriter BC Jean, whose real name is Brittany Jean Carlson, in November 2016.
The couple performs music together as Alexander Jean.
In November 2023, they welcomed their first child, a son named Banksi Wylde Ballas.
Fatherhood added another chapter to Mark’s family story after a childhood spent as an only biological child surrounded by people who became family through circumstance and shared experience.
The Real Answer
So, does Mark Ballas have siblings?
Biologically, no.
Mark is the only child of Shirley and Corky Ballas.
The confusion largely comes from his extraordinary relationship with Derek Hough and, by extension, Julianne Hough.
The Hough siblings spent important parts of their childhood in London training with the Ballas family. Derek in particular became so close to Mark that describing each other merely as childhood friends does not fully capture their relationship.
They grew up together, trained together, made music together and ultimately became stars of the same television franchise.
Mark Ballas may not have been born with a brother or sister, but his childhood gave him something remarkably close—and his decades-long bond with Derek Hough has lasted well into their adult lives.
