STRICTLY Come Dancing star Shirley Ballas today opens up about her “terrifying” cancer scare after checks revealed lumpy tissue in her left breast.
The 63-year-old chief justice, who has undergone three biopsies, said: “I feel very emotional. Every time the phone rings, I think, “Oh, maybe those are my results.”
Shirley also revealed her biggest fear was dying before her mother Audrey, 87.
She admitted: “I fear I have worked myself to death.
“It was terrifying watching the needle go into your body to numb it before the biopsy.
“I feel very emotional. I’m not the same at work these days, so I’m teaching, but it’s constantly on my mind.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SHIRLEY BALLAS
“Every time the phone rings, I think, ‘Oh, maybe those are my results.’ »
But Shirley remains determined not to become depressed – and has urged other women to get checked out for early signs of cancer.
Shirley had her breast implants removed in 2019 to make it easier for doctors to detect cancer.
She says she would have postponed her mammogram if not for professional dancer Amy Dowden, who is recovering from breast cancer.
She said: “My dear student and friend Amy told me, ‘You should never miss a mammogram.’
“So when this particular invitation came, I could have postponed it until summer when it’s a little calmer. But I’m glad I didn’t.
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“I did it at a mobile NHS unit in a Sainsbury’s car park, and three days later they called me back to go to King’s College Hospital in Camberwell.
“I was shocked when I was doing self-checks, and I had had a self-check with another nurse a few weeks before for something else and she didn’t feel anything. But mammograms can detect 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 were still not happy after finding lumpy tissue and asked me to come back and do a biopsy.
“But I asked to do it right away because a woman’s mind can work overtime.”
Deep down, you’re a nervous wreck. I need to know my results one way or another, good or bad. I am not a person who likes to wait or procrastinate things.
Shirley Ballas
Shirley underwent three biopsies and posted a tearful photo of her bandaged chest on Instagram.
She said: “They injected me with anesthetic and then took biopsies.
“The hardest part is the torture of waiting for the results.
“So I went home blindfolded.
“Deep down, you’re a nervous wreck.
“I need to know my results one way or another, good or bad.
“I am not a person who likes to wait or put things off.
“I put myself in a daze when I posted the photo on social media, I was crying while I was doing it.
“I thought, ‘I shouldn’t.’ But even if a woman goes to get tested because of this, it’s worth it.”
The hardest part for Shirley was telling her mother Audrey, who lives with her in London.
SHIRLEY’S BIGGEST FEAR
She said: “My biggest fear would be putting myself before my mother.
“I couldn’t think of anything worse.
“Because she needs me as much as I need her and at 87, she is incredible.
“She takes care of me.
“I told him 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 grandmother, grandfather and aunt all had the disease.
The ballroom star, nicknamed the Queen from Latin, also spoke about a secret cancer scare while filming the series Christmas special.
Shirley was tested for internal bleeding and was filming the pain.
She said: “I had ongoing problems and even had very strong and painful injections in my cervix on the day of the special.
“Luckily, that one came back clear.
“But I went straight from there to judge the Christmas show about painkillers.
“I had pain and bleeding, but I continued. »
Shirley doesn’t mind the scars left by the biopsies as long as her results are clear.
She said: “My body is like a road map.
“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 do not care.
“I was on vacation last week and had a fabulous time, and then I come back to deal with this, and I was feeling down.
“If you let it, it could push you into depression.
“You feel like you don’t really want to do anything.”
FIGHT ON
But Shirley continued to fight, saying she got her stoicism from her mother.
Shirley revealed: “Her attitude to problems is, ‘Hang it on the door, honey, and pick it up on the way out.’
“You don’t take it with you to work.”
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 treated early enough, it is possible to prevent breast cancer from spreading to other parts of the body.
Breast cancer can have a number of symptoms, but the first visible symptom is usually a lump or area of thickened breast tissue.
Most breast lumps are not cancerous, but it is always best to have them checked out 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 one of your nipples (which may be streaked with blood)
- a lump or swelling in one of your armpits
- dimples on the skin of your breasts
- a rash on or around your nipple
- a change in the appearance of your nipple, such as a sagging in your breast
Source: ENM
“If I stay busy and activated, I can focus on teaching dance like I did this week.”
Shirley also praised her actor boyfriend Danny Taylor, 50, for helping her.
She said: “I couldn’t wish for a sweeter person.
“He knows me and knows that I like to stay busy.
Check your body, check your breasts. It could save your life.
Shirley Ballas
“We talk every day, early in the morning and late at night.
“We’re going on vacation in June so I’m focusing on that.”
And she thanked the Strictly Amy star for her support.
Shirley said: “Amy said, ‘I’m here to talk, be brave and we can move forward together.’ She was absolutely adorable.
Urging others to get checked, the star added: “Women should not delay their mammogram or smear test.
“The doctors told me that women don’t go there because they are embarrassed.
“But at the end of the day, we are all built differently.
“We are our own beautiful machine and we need our MoT.
“Check your body, check your breasts.
“It could save your life.”
GETTING A CHECK IS VITAL
By Professor Pat Price, clinical oncologist
SHIRLEY’S experience shows how life-saving mammograms can be.
They allow us to see any changes in the tissues that might indicate cancer, often before a lump or other signs of the disease appear.
It can even detect precancerous cells.
Currently, all women over 50 are invited for a check-up every three years until age 70.
After that, you can have one upon request.
High-risk groups could be offered further assessments at an earlier age.
Unfortunately, in England only 65 percent of women go when invited.
A change in system means that instead of receiving a letter with a date and time, you receive one asking you to go online and book. It’s too easy to put it aside and do nothing.
But, as Shirley proves, women should be the ones to make that appointment. Talk about your mammogram and encourage others to get theirs. This way we can beat this disease.
