Strictly's Shirley reveals 'terrifying' choking drama

Shirley Ballas said she "almost didn't make it to the [Strictly judges'] desk" on Saturday

Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has said she "couldn't breathe" for 20 minutes after choking on a fish bone before Saturday's live show in Blackpool.

Posting about the "terrifying" ordeal on Instagram, the show's head judge said: "I really thought that was it."

She praised her hair and make-up artist Jane Green for being ready, willing and able to dislodge the blockage by performing the Heimlich manoeuvre.

"I choked earlier on a fishbone," Ballas explained. "It got lodged in my throat, and my wonderful Jane, who has been with me for nine years, did the Heimlich manoeuvre, and we got the bone out. But for 20 minutes there, it was lodged and I couldn't breathe, so it was terrifying."

She joked that Strictly would "have been a judge down tonight if it wasn't for her".

Ballas contined: "Gratitude to Jane because I panicked. I really thought that was it, the end, amen."

In a separate post, the Liverpudlian dancer and TV personality, 65, wrote: "Almost didn't make it to the desk last night, I had a fishbone stuck."

She updated her followers in a later post by saying she was "a bit hoarse, but all is good".

She also vowed to learn how to peform the Heimlich manoeuvre - which involves abdominal thrusts from behind - "in case I ever come across anybody who needs my help".

Only four in ten people know the first aid skills needed for choking, according to research from England's first aid charity St John Ambulance in August 2024.

Ballas took over as head judge on the celebrity dance contest from Len Goodman in 2017.

How to help someone who's choking

The NHS advises that for severe choking - when the person is unable to breathe, speak and/or cough to clear the blockage themself - a helper should administer five sharp back blows between the shoulders from behind (for anyone over the age of one year old).

If the blockage has not cleared, the NHS says the helper should try abdominal thrusts. It suggests:

• Stand behind the person who is choking

• Place your arms around their waist and bend them well forward

• Clench one fist and place it just above the person's belly button

• Place your other hand on top of your fist and pull sharply inwards and upwards

• Repeat this up to five times

BBC News health reporter Michelle Roberts said people who find themselves choking, in a similar manner to Ballas, should seek urgent medical help.

"A fish bone in the airways causing breathing problems is an emergency," she said.

"Sometimes a bone may get stuck in the throat or gullet instead. A doctor will be able to assess whether the bone is likely to pass through on its own or if treatment is needed to remove it.

"They may do a scan and recommend removal under anaesthetic."