I fear I’ve worked myself to death, admits Strictly’s Shirley Ballas after revealing ‘terrifying’ cancer scare
STRICTLY Come Dancing star Shirley Ballas today tells of her “terrifying” cancer scare after checks revealed lumpy tissue in her left breast.
The head judge, 63, who has had three biopsies, said: “I feel very emotional. Every time the phone rings I think, ‘Oh, maybe they are my results’.”
Shirley also revealed her biggest fear is dying before her mum Audrey, 87.
She admitted: “I’m worried I’ve worked myself to death.
“It’s been terrifying, to have the needle go in your body to numb it before the biopsy.
“I feel very emotional. I’m not the same at work at the moment, so I’m teaching, but it’s constantly on my mind.
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“Every time the phone rings, I think, ‘Oh, maybe they are my results’.”
But Shirley remains determined not to get depressed — and urged other women to get checked for early signs of cancer.
Shirley had her breast implants removed in 2019 to make it easier for doctors to spot cancer.
She says she would have put off her mammogram but for pro dancer Amy Dowden, who is recovering from breast cancer.
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She said: “My dear student and friend Amy said to me, ‘You must never miss a mammogram’.
“So when this particular invite came in I could have put it off until the summer when it is a bit quieter. But I’m glad I didn’t.
“I did it at a mobile NHS unit in a Sainsbury’s car park, and three days later they called me back to go into King’s College Hospital in Camberwell.
“I was shocked as I do self checks, and I’d had a self check with another nurse a few weeks before for something else and she didn’t feel anything. But the mammogram scanners can pick up small abnormalities.
“So I went to the hospital and the doctor said, ‘I don’t want to alarm you but we found something and we’re not sure what it is.
“We need to do a 3D mammogram, which is a more advanced machine’.
“After that they still weren’t happy after finding lumpy tissue and asked me to come back and do a biopsy.
“But I asked to do it straightaway because a woman’s mind can work overtime.”
Deep inside, you’re a nervous wreck. I need to know my results one way or the other, good or bad. I’m not a person who likes to wait or put off things.
Shirley Ballas
Shirley had three biopsies, and posted a tearful picture of her bandaged chest on Instagram.
She said: “They injected me with anaesthetic then took the biopsies.
“The hard part is the torture of waiting for the results.
“So I went home bandaged up.
“Deep inside, you’re a nervous wreck.
“I need to know my results one way or the other, good or bad.
“I’m not a person who likes to wait or put off things.
“I got myself in a tiswas when I posted the picture to social media, I was crying while I was doing it.
“I thought, ‘I shouldn’t’. But even if one woman goes to get tested because of it then it’s all been worth it.”
The hardest part for Shirley was telling mum Audrey, who lives with her in London.
SHIRLEY'S BIGGEST FEAR
She said: “My biggest fear would be that I pass before my mother.
“I couldn’t think of anything worse.
“Because she needs me as much as I need her and at 87 she’s amazing.
“She takes care of me.
“I told her I was fine, but inside I was nervous.”
There is a history of cancer in the family.
Audrey was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2018, but is now in remission.
Shirley’s gran, grandad and aunt all had the disease.
The ballroom star, dubbed the Queen of Latin, also opened up about a secret cancer scare during filming the show’s Christmas special.
Shirley had tests for internal bleeding and was in pain filming.
She said: “I have had continuous issues and even had really strong, painful injections into the cervix on the day of the special.
“Fortunately that one came back clear.
“But I went straight from there to judge the Christmas show on pain medication.
“I had pain and bleeding, but I carried on.”
Shirley does not mind about scars left by biopsies as long as her results come back all-clear.
She said: “My body is like a roadmap.
“When you get to my age it shows the history of the body, of everything.
“It’s my body, it’s part of me.
“I’m not embarrassed at all.
“I couldn’t care less.
"I was on holiday last week and had a fab time then I come back to deal with this, and I could feel myself getting low and down.
“If you let it, it could send you into depression.
“You feel like you don’t really want to do anything.”
BATTLING ON
But Shirley has battled on, saying she gets her stoicism from her mum.
Shirley revealed: “Her attitude to problems is, ‘Hang it at the door, darling, and pick it up on the way out.
“You don’t take it into work with you’.
What are the signs of breast cancer?
BREAST cancer is the most common type of cancer in the UK.
The majority of women who get it are over 50, but younger women and, in rare cases, men can also get breast cancer.
If it’s treated early enough, breast cancer can be prevented from spreading to other parts of the body.
Breast cancer can have a number of symptoms, but the first noticeable symptom is usually a lump or area of thickened breast tissue.
Most breast lumps aren’t cancerous, but it’s always best to have them checked by your doctor. You should also speak to your GP if you notice any of the following:
- a change in the size or shape of one or both breasts
- discharge from either of your nipples (which may be streaked with blood)
- a lump or swelling in either of your armpits
- dimpling on the skin of your breasts
- a rash on or around your nipple
- a change in the appearance of your nipple, such as becoming sunken into your breast
Source: NHS
“If I stay busy and I’m activated I can concentrate on teaching dance like I’ve done this week.”
Shirley also hailed her actor boyfriend Danny Taylor, 50, for helping her.
She said: “I couldn’t wish for a sweeter person.
“He knows me and knows I like to stay busy.
Check your body, check your breasts. It might save your life.
Shirley Ballas
“We talk every day, first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
“We are going on holiday in June so I am focused on that.”
And she thanked Strictly star Amy for her support.
Shirley said: “Amy has said, ‘I’m here to chat, be brave and we can move forward together’. She was absolutely lovely.”
Urging others to get checked, the star added: “Women mustn’t put off their mammograms or smear tests.
“The doctors told me women don’t go because they’re embarrassed.
“But at the end of the day we’re all built in a different shape.
“We’re our own beautiful machine, and we need our MoT.
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“Check your body, check your breasts.
“It might save your life.”
GETTING CHECK-UP IS VITAL
By Professor Pat Price, clinical oncologist
SHIRLEY’S experience shows just how vital mammograms can be.
They let us see any changes in the tissue that might indicate cancer — often before you have a lump or other signs of the disease.
It can even pick up pre-cancerous cells.
Currently all women over 50 are invited to a check every three years until they are 70.
After that you can have one on request.
High-risk groups might be offered other assessments at an earlier age.
Sadly, in England only 65 per cent of women go when invited.
A system change has meant that rather than getting a letter with a date and time, you get one asking you to go online and book. It’s too easy to put it aside and not do anything.
But, as Shirley proves, women must make that appointment. Talk about your mammogram and encourage others to go for theirs. That way, we can beat this disease.