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Shirley opened up on her mums health battle (Image: BBC)
Shirley Ballas has revealed her mother’s “debilitating” condition, confessing “It’s never going to get better”.
The Strictly Come Dancing head judge, 65, is renowned for bringing sparkle and excitement to the BBC’s weekend sensation.
Yet away from the cameras, the celebrity has been supporting her mother Audrey Rich, 88, who has been battling Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease since her diagnosis in 2022, reports Wales Online.
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During Tuesday’s (November 18) BBC Breakfast appearance with presenters Sally Nugent and Jon Kay, Shirley delivered a vital health message as she emphasised her desire to raise awareness about the illness.
In an emotional revelation, Shirley began by explaining: “My mum got diagnosed in 2022 but she was suffering for many years before that.”
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Shirley appeared on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday morning(Image: BBC)
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“I took her to the doctor because she was sick on and off and the doctor sent her to the hospital.”
She went on: “She was diagnosed with COPD and from what they explained they said it was like a balloon and inside the balloon all the little hairs on the lungs were all gone.
“If she got the flu or anything like that she was at risk of getting really poorly, may even get pneumonia.”
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After her mother’s diagnosis, the expert dancer became involved in a campaign, spearheaded by healthcare firm Sanofi, to motivate those living with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to stay physically and socially engaged.
Shirley revealed: “That is when I decided to join Sanofi, an equal campaign to try and get the word out there because there are a lot of places within the country where people are not given the right kind of care, even able to seek care or even know that they’ve got the disease.”
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Shirley’s mum was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary in 2022(Image: BBC)
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The visibly emotional star went on: “This isn’t something you can see so with my mum I’ve witnessed her choking, I’ve been out with her when she is out of breath and of course she lives with me.”
She continued: ‘It’s quite sad, it’s debilitating and of course it’s never going to get any better so it’s about finding a way to help her care for that and of course keeping her safe from any of the flus going around. “”.
The head judge confessed: “For me to see her not to be able to go out all the time because sometimes she is embarrassed.
“So we stay home and only go out once a week. To see her getting older and struggling with COPD is not the most pleasant thing to watch.”
She concluded: “She doesn’t like me to talk about it but I told her that we need to help people out there who are struggling and suffering to get the right care and also maintain how to take care of themselves.”
