Strictly judge Shirley Ballas taken to hospital after falling on glass table

By Casey Cooper-Fiske, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

Strictly Come Dancing’s Shirley Ballas was taken to hospital after falling and hitting her head on a glass table.

The 65-year-old head judge on the BBC dancing programme said she was taking time to heal her neck and back following the incident, but had not injured her skull.

In a post on Instagram, Ballas said: “Thank you to all who reached out to see how I’m doing.

“Scary fall backwards hitting my head on the glass dressing table. Trip to hospital to get a brain scan. Fortunately for me no cracked skull.

“I’ll rest a few days to heal my neck and back.

“Hugs (and) thank you to @barbara_mccoll (a fellow professional dancer) for getting my emergency appointment and to Sammy Stopford (her ex-husband) for taking me, and sitting with me all day. Gratitude, as the doctor said I was very lucky.”

Ballas is due to take part in the Strictly Come Dancing live tour with fellow judges Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood when it begins next week, with 30 shows scheduled until February 15.

The Wirral-born star joined Strictly in 2017, and made her debut as head judge in September that year.

Ballas has used her platform to advocate for male suicide awareness and men’s mental health, after her brother took his own life in 2003.

She is an ambassador for charities Campaign Against Living Miserably and Suicide&Co.

In August last year, Ballas said she will “never feel completely safe again” after being targeted by a stalker who accused her of killing a member of her family in an interview with the Sunday Mirror.

The professional dancer has also worked to raise awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties, after her mother Audrey was diagnosed in 2022.