Shirley Ballas' wrist tattoo, spotted by Strictly Come Dancing viewers, is a tribute to her late brother David Rich, who died by suicide in 2003 at age 44. The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) shared the meaning behind the ink in a series of photos.
The head judge's tattoo reads "D.A Rich," his initials and last name. She received it during a fundraising event, her first ever tattoo, as a permanent tribute to her brother.
CALM ambassador's mission
CALM posted on social media that they "couldn't be prouder" to call Ballas a CALM ambassador. The charity said: "Since then, she's made it her mission to help anyone who's struggling or bereaved by suicide."
"Speaking about David openly helps normalise talking about suicide so no-one has to carry the weight alone."
Ballas has supported CALM with activities including jumping out of a plane and taking part in a 24-hour tattoo-a-thon.
Emotional tribute on anniversary
On the 20th anniversary of David's death, Ballas wrote on Instagram: "20 years ago today my dearest brother David took his own life. I lost my brother, my protector and my best friend."
She recalled: "I'll remember the dreaded knock on the front door forever. I can still picture the police officers standing there and I just knew something was wrong. 'Mrs Rich' they said. I stepped aside and my mother stepped forward. From that moment, our worlds came crashing down."
She added: "How time flies dearest David. Where have the years gone… you are truly missed on a daily basis. I'll never really know why you went, but my mother and I talk about you often and you are never forgotten. Mary, your beautiful daughter, is doing you so very proud. She is strong, beautiful and she brings us so much joy."
"My work for @calmzone and @suicideandco will continue with you in the forefront of my mind. My Skyathlon was for you David. I zip lined, wing walked and I skydived for you David. I'll continue to support others who are in dark places as I have learnt over the years there is light at the end of the tunnel. Continue to rest in peace David. Mum and I miss you so very much."
Brother's battle with depression
Speaking on Paul C Brunson's We Need to Talk podcast, Ballas described David as "a great brother" who was "either very up or very down" but a "gentle soul." She said: "I believe as a child, different things that happened to him. And because of that, he grew up really quite tough. He was quite tough on me, he was more like the dad in the household, even though there's only 18 months between us."
She revealed that as he approached his mid-40s he became profoundly affected by depression: "He seemed very low. He lost a lot of weight. We never really got to the root cause of it."
Ballas acknowledged her hectic family life prevented her from visiting him. She said: "My mother did. But she wasn't a great communicator, so she didn't say, 'you need to stop everything. You need to come up here.'"
"He declined rapidly. There was just one occasion when my son was performing at Saint Paul's Church, and I suggested to my mum and brother 'Why don't you come up for the week?' He responded, 'I'm feeling much better. Let mum go.' And she went and he took his own life that weekend in our home in the north of England. It was simply tragic. It was abrupt. It's something you can't even explain unless you've lost someone."
CALM said: "So, when you spot Shirley's tatt on your Saturday night telly, you're looking at suicide awareness in millions of living rooms."
