Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has revealed she had a "terrifying" cancer scare at the back end of 2023.

Ballas, 63, announced earlier this week on her Instagram story that she was waiting on biopsy results after having a mammogram recently.

She has now opened up about the "emotional" experience, in an interview with The Sun, while also revealing she had a cancer scare while filming the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special at the back end of last year. 

The Mail: Hear as Shirley Ballas opens up about her recent cancer scare.Hear as Shirley Ballas opens up about her recent cancer scare. (Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA)

Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas opens up about cancer scare

Ballas revealed she underwent her mammogram in a mobile NHS unit in a Sainsbury’s car park and a few days later she was called to go into King’s College Hospital in south London.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge said she was “shocked” as she'd had a breast check with a nurse a few weeks previously which had not shown anything - but was told the mammogram scanners can “pick up small abnormalities”.

Ballas, speaking to The Sun said: “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 still weren’t happy after finding lumpy tissue and asked me to come back and do a biopsy.”

The Mail: Doctors told Shirley Ballas they had found something after a recent mammogram.Doctors told Shirley Ballas they had found something after a recent mammogram. (Image: PA)

The ballroom star said that waiting for the results has made her a “nervous wreck”, admitting her biggest fear would be if she died before her 87-year-old mother.

Ballas said: “I’m worried I’ve worked myself to death. It’s been terrifying, to have the needle go in your body to numb it before the biopsy.

“I feel very emotional. I’m not the same at work at the moment, so I’m teaching, but it’s constantly on my mind.”

The Strictly star also revealed she had a cancer scare when filming the 2023 Christmas special.

She said: “I have had continuous issues and even had really strong, painful injections into the cervix on the day of the special.

“Fortunately that one came back clear. But I went straight from there to judge the Christmas show on pain medication.”

In 2019 she had her breast implants removed after being told by a healthcare professional during a mammogram that they may not always be able to check for cancer behind the implants.

The dancer has a family history of cancer, with her mother suffering from colon cancer in recent years.

In 2021, Ballas also underwent tests after fans spotted a lump under her arm during an online video, which turned out to be clear.

Strictly professional Amy Dowden motivated Shirley Ballas to get tested

Ballas revealed, in an Instagram story recently, she had been motivated to get the tests as Strictly professional Amy Dowden had been encouraging it.

The dancer, 33, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer last year after finding a lump in her breast the day before going to the Maldives on her honeymoon.

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She later had a mastectomy before undergoing chemotherapy, which she has now finished.

Ballas said Dowden had been “absolutely lovely” to her since she shared her own health update.

The Strictly judge is now urging others to get their mammograms and smear tests, adding: “Check your body, check your breasts. It might save your life”