BBC Strictly Come Dancing star left in 'darkest place of my life' due to secret health battle

BBC Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas has opened up on having "dark times" amid a secret and hidden health battle. The BBC star, who is currently judging the ongoing series, spoke out over the impact of her hidden health woes.

Shirley, who is a judge alongside Motsi Mabuse as well as Craig Revel Horwood and Anton du Beke, has addressed her struggle with bladder leaks. The Strictly Come Dancing star is the new ambassador of a campaign to encourage women to do their pelvic floor exercise.

"It did take a minute when I was invited to do this, because even though I can talk about this among my friends, it's a bit of a taboo subject," she explained "But when I sat with my mum Audrey, who's 87, she said to me, 'Think of all the women you could help, think of all the people out there for whom you could make it not such a taboo subject.'

READ MORE Fireworks banned in one part of UK with 'six month' prison sentence for ignoring law

"She has a much better memory than me and reminded me of some of the things I've been through myself." The 64-year-old said: "One of the times leaks have affected me was of course when I gave birth to Mark when I was 25 and I had to wear a sort of napkin and get back to dancing straight away, there was no sort of help for me or anything. I gave birth to him and there was nobody there for me, it was just, 'Get back to it and don't complain.' I was in pain and I was breast-feeding and I remember my boobs leaking in the church and nobody really cared or helped.

"It wasn't pretty for me after I gave birth to my son or during menopause. I kept it all very personal, as I did with the menopause, but my mum thinks life is about helping people, that's why I'm on this mission. So, I think it's important we talk about bladder leaks, and the more I talk about it, the easier it becomes."

She said: "I still remember the feeling that he left me with. And then I was in the darkest place in my life during menopause. It's only now that I'm learning a lot more about it, and I just want to make it easy and not a taboo subject."