Strictly's Shirley Ballas says mum feared she was about to lose her
Shirley Ballas' mum feared she would lose another child when her daughter signed up for 'Celebrity Bear Hunt'. The 64-year-old dancer's brother David Rich took his own life in 2003 aged 44 after struggles with depression, and with Shirley and 11 other celebrities being dropped into a Costa Rican jungle for the new Netflix series, it left her mother Audrey Rich fearing that she would catch a fatal illness or be eaten by a crocodile.
The 'Strictly Come Dancing' head judge exclusively told BANG Showbiz on behalf of WhichBingo: "When I got asked to do it, my mother wouldn't speak to me for a week, she just wasn't speaking. She said, 'I've lost one child, I don't want to lose another. What if you get bit by a snake, what if you get eaten by a crocodile? Or what if you get malaria, and I'm not there to help?'
"But, afterwards when I told her, you know my age - and all my life, I've only worked and taught dancing. So now with the job, you get to do charity work, you get to go to different places and meet different people."
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Despite dubbing the experience as "electrifyingly terrifying", Shirley wanted to show off her inner action hero on the show. She added: "I just thought this would be a challenge of a lifetime, and that's why I took it. I wanted to test myself. I wanted to be that GI. Jane, you know. I wanted to be that person.
"There is that person inside us all - that action hero, and I think everybody wants to be that at some point in their life."
Shirley had to be calmed down by 'Celebrity Bear Hunt' bosses after her heart almost pumped "out of [her] chest". The 'Strictly Come Dancing' head judge and 11 other stars were dropped into a Costa Rican jungle as they became "prey" for adventurer Bear Grylls in the new Netflix show.
As part of running away from the 50-year-old survival expert, they had to complete a series of gruelling challenges - with one that involved crossing a broken bridge high above the jungle causing panic for Shirley and ringing alarm bells for bosses over her safety.
Shirley exclusively told BANG Showbiz on behalf of WhichBingo: "The bridge that we had to climb over had all these slats missing.
"And if you've got a fear of heights ... my heart was racing so fast, I thought it was going to pump out of my chest, so they were talking to me. They tried to calm me down, and then you just have to figure a way to get across this bridge - of which I did my very best.
"I didn't do it in the time allotted, but I did get to the other side. Those things are a huge achievement for me."
The 64-year-old dancer was the eldest person in the group, and her age caused difficulties. She added: "I struggled, as a 64-year-old, doing most things. The heat was horrendous. I had to really put myself out there as the eldest person in the group of celebrities."
Shirley was joined out in South America by the 49-year-old Spice Girls star Mel B, the 57-year-old retired tennis great Boris Becker a...
