Strictly Come Dancing's Shirley Ballas shares secret health battle that affects her on show every week
Shirley Ballas has revealed that she has been battling issues with a leaking bladder over recent years, forcing her to take measures while filming Strictly Come Dancing each weekend. The judge, who sits on the BBC show's panel alongside Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood, admitted that she has had to stop drinking fluids while in the show's studio to prevent leaks.
With Shirley opening up about the issue during an appearance on Loose Women, host Christine Lampard introduced the topic: "Here on Loose Women, we never shy away from taboo topics, so today we are marking bladder health month and discussing bladder leaks"
Sharing her own experiences, which she admits have been heightened by menopause, Shirley said: "I feel like bladder leaks are a bit of a taboo subject that no one wants to talk about. I think it's important for women to do their pelvic floor exercises and understand it should be part of our daily routine.
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"Being a dancer, I do them all the time; I have learned how to do them. But when I was giving birth, and I was pregnant, particularly during menopause, I struggled with that, bladder leaks."
Continuing that there is a stigma around talking about bladder leaks, the dancer said: "I talked to my mum about it, and my mother's generation, it is a taboo subject; she doesn't want to talk about it. In fact, when she knew I was coming this morning, I hope you're watching, mother, she was like, 'Oh dear, you can't talk about that!'"
And when it comes to filming Strictly and spending long evenings in the BBC studio, Shirley must take extra measures, she admits. "I don't drink fluids. I don't drink water at all if I'm travelling or I'm in the studio. But I think most women, if you sneeze, for example, if you laugh, particularly at 64 years of age, and now I'm noticing it even more."
Shirley's candid revelation comes as it's reported she recently became single again, following an alleged split from her fiance Danny Taylor, 51, after a six year relationship.
Earlier this month, a source told The Sun: "As with any break-up, it is, of course, a very sad situation. She gave her all to that relationship and in the end came to the realisation that it wasn't going anywhere. She made a lot of effort to see Danny and support his theatre and panto work, travelling up and down the country. Distance also played its part - Shirley lives in London with her mother and Danny remains based in Liverpool; that commute is a killer.
"But Shirley is a strong, resilient character and is looking better than ever. She will 100% bounce back - 2025 promises to be an absolute corker for her."
