One Strictly Come Dancing star has been left unable to walk after a tragic stroke.

 

Strictly star Jane Bullock in hospital

Strictly star Jane Bullock suffered a horror stroke (Image: BBC/ Warren Bullock)

A Strictly Come Dancing stalwart has been left incapacitated following a stroke. Jane Bullock, 60, is renowned for coaching numerous professional dancers on the BBC show, having previously established herself in the world of ballroom dancing. However, after conducting a dance class in August last year, the head of ZigZag Dance Factory collapsed at home whilst performing household tasks. Her husband, Warren, described how her life was “destroyed” within moments.

In a recent interview, Warren detailed how Jane began to stagger across the room before collapsing. He immediately noticed that Jane’s mouth had drooped and she could only utilise one arm and one leg, leading him to recognise the symptoms of a stroke. Jane was promptly rushed to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, before being transferred to a specialist ward at Royal Stoke University Hospital. Medical professionals soon identified a blood clot in her carotid artery, which transports oxygen-rich blood to the brain, neck and face, reports the Mirror.

Strictly star Jane Bullock

Jane worked on the show for years (Image: BBC/ Warren Bullock)

Following a brain scan, it was revealed that Jane had also experienced a midline shift, a movement of brain tissue across the brain’s centre line. Surgeons removed part of her skull during the operation to reduce the swelling.

“She spent about a month on life support and a ventilator,” Warren told BBC News.

Jane has been undergoing hospital treatment for seven months and is also having rehabilitation at West Park Hospital. The stroke has left her paralysed down her left side.

Warren also revealed that Jane has experienced cognitive difficulties, no longer able to tell the time or operate a TV remote.

“She’s become very depressed; she feels like she’s lost everything,” he added. Jane is expected to be discharged from hospital shortly, but her husband worries that he will receive no assistance given their children live far away and the expense of professional care is prohibitive.

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Strictly Jane Bullock

A GoFundMe has been started for Jane’s medical treatment (Image: Gofundme)

He says he has “no support” before explaining to the publication that he’s been advised to leave his employment as round-the-clock care costs approximately £2,000 per week, which is beyond his means.

Speaking to the publication, Warren added: “It’s destroyed her life, but it’s impacted mine massively too. The only reason I keep going is because if she didn’t have me, who would she have? I’m trying to do her job and mine. We’ve lost her income, so it’s been a financial struggle as well as an emotional one.”

Warren revealed that Jane has been a “good person” and his only focus now is to ensure her life remains “worthwhile and enjoyable”. A fundraising appeal to help the couple modify their home and meet Jane’s requirements has now surpassed £46,000.

On GoFundMe, Warren wrote: “On 10th August, our world stopped. Jane suffered a catastrophic stroke and brain bleed that very nearly took her life. She needed resuscitation and spent nearly a month in ICU on a ventilator. Nothing prepares you for standing at a bedside, not knowing if the person you love will survive, or what life will look like if they do.”

Both Warren and Jane have worked as professional dancers throughout their careers, coaching Strictly professionals, alongside celebrity performers on the American version, Dancing With The Stars. They subsequently constructed a ballroom at their Wolverhampton residence.

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Their Channel 5 programme, Baby Ballroom, which first aired in 2017, showcased the couples they had coached, and was subsequently made available on Netflix, reaching audiences in more than 40 countries worldwide.