Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas has revealed she choked on a fishbone just minutes before going on set, requiring the Heimlich manoeuvre from her assistant. The incident occurred backstage before the Blackpool special, leaving her unable to breathe for 20 minutes.
Speaking on It Takes Two, Ballas told host Fleur East: 'I was having my fish and the bone of the fish got lodged in my throat. It all closed off and I couldn't breathe at all.' She added that her voice was affected and her throat remains sore, though it has improved over the past two days.
The Blackpool episode featured a group number with former contestants Ashley Roberts, Danny Mac, Layton Williams and Jay McGuinness. Roberts said she was 'excited and grateful' to return, while Mac called it 'as thrilling as it is terrifying'.
This week introduces the Instant Dance challenge, where couples pick a dance style at random and have 10 seconds to decide their routine. Ballas commented: 'Instant Dance has the power to change everything for our couples... it's going to be a whole lot of fun.'
