Strictly Come Dancing decide Shirley Ballas has shared that she had a near-death expertise simply earlier than Saturday evening’s Blackpool particular, and was saved by a quick-thinking colleague

Shirley Ballas had a near-death expertise after choking on a fish bone simply earlier than the Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool particular. The 65-year-old decide of the BBC Latin and Ballroom dance present skilled a terrifying “20 minutes” of struggling to breathe backstage on the Tower Ballroom within the seaside city on Saturday evening.

Shirley’s make-up artist, Jane Burstow, got here to her help, efficiently dislodging the fish bone by performing the Heimlich manoeuvre. The Queen of Latin expressed that the present would have been wanting a decide if it hadn’t been for Jane’s fast considering.

Recounting the “terrifying” incident to her followers on Instagram, Shirley – who shares the judging panel on Strictly Come Dancing with Craig Revel Horwood, 60, Motsi Mabuse, 44, and 59 12 months previous Anton Du Beke – mentioned: “I choked on a fish bone.

“It obtained lodged in my throat, and my fantastic Jane, who has been with me for 9 years, did the Heimlich manoeuvre, and we obtained the bone out. However for 20 minutes there, it was lodged and I could not breathe so it was terrifying.

“We might have been a decide down tonight if it wasn’t for her ..

“Gratitude to Jane as a result of I panicked. I actually thought that was it, the top, amen.”

Now again in London, Shirley up to date her followers on her situation.

The star shared: “I am a bit hoarse, however all is nice.”

In one other Instagram replace, she added: “Virtually did not make it to the desk final evening.”

After the terrifying incident, Shirley has pledged to study the Heimlich manoeuvre – a method involving belly thrusts to take away an obstructing object from somebody’s airways – for potential future use.

She declared: “I will research now in case I ever come throughout anyone who wants my assist.”

The episode occurred after Shirley asserted that Strictly Come Dancing will proceed “lengthy after I am gone”, regardless of requires it to be placed on maintain.

The celeb, who succeeded the late Len Goodman as Head Decide on the present in 2017, informed The Solar on Sunday newspaper: “No one is larger than Strictly Come Dancing.

“Not me, not any presenters, not any dancers – that present belongs to the individuals.

“Once I joined the present in 2017, no person knew me, and there have been questions like, ‘Oh, will it fail? Will it’s this? Will it’s that?'”.

“It carried on ticking and it will stick with it ticking lengthy after I am gone and kicked my clogs.”

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