Strictly Come Dancing's Shirley Ballas saving people's lives after health scare

Strictly fans are going for cancer check-ups thanks to Shirley Ballas. The judge, 61, had a scare last autumn when she discovered a lump in her armpit and she bravely opened up about her ordeal in a series of videos on social media.It has caused a spike in the number of women going to get checked.Shirley said: “I try to be as transparent as possible with people.“After my posts on social media, a lot of people send me messages on Instagram privately and tell me about their situations.“People tell me all the time that they have now gone and been tested.”Shirley also gets plenty of fans opening up to her about their experiences with cancer.She added: “It’s very emotional.

Some of the stories are very sad. You just have to listen to them and send them something back so they know their voice has been heard.“I’m not a doctor, but I really do try to be a support for them and answer as many messages as I can.

I like to give people encouraging remarks.”It has been almost five years since Shirley joined Strictly, which won the Judges’ Award at last week’s Royal Television Society bash.The former Latin dance champion is determined to use her fame to promote important causes.She said: “When I was offered Strictly, my son gave me a push and said, ‘It will mean you can be a voice for people who don’t have a voice’.“That goes for things like mental health because my brother died from suicide.“In my position, you’re able to do all these different things to help people.” For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here. .