Strictly judge Shirley’s secret heartache over her brother’s suicide
Star set up charity to tackle the stigma of mental illness
STRICTLY’S new head judge has a secret heartache – she was left feeling “overwhelming grief” and “guilt” after her beloved brother killed himself.
Shirley Ballas was devastated when older brother David Rich, 44, who she grew up with in Wallasey, Merseyside, hanged himself in 2003, after suffering depression.
She and her son Mark set up charity The Ballas Foundation to raise awareness of how to prevent suicide and erase the stigma of mental illness.
A blog on Mark’s website described the pain Shirley and her mum Audrey had to brave.
It read: “In 2003, Shirley and David’s mother travelled to northern England to help care for David after he became increasingly depressed.
“Mark, then 17, was scheduled to sing at St Paul’s in London.
“Shirley invited her mother to see the performance – a one-day journey.
“That day was enough time for David, who was alone, to act on his depression and kill himself.
“The family was not only left with overwhelming grief but guilt.
“You keep thinking maybe you could have done something.”
David helped to raise Mark as well as his own daughter here as Shirley’s career took off in the US.
A friend of Audrey said: “Shirley and her mum are such lovely, salt of the earth people.
“You can only imagine what they went through. It was so terribly sad.”
In 2012, on David’s birthday, Shirley said in an emotional Facebook post: “He was an amazing man. Rest in peace, Dave.
“You are always close to my heart, your little sister. We all love you so much.”
Shirley used her 50th birthday party in 2010 as a fundraiser to support suicide prevention schemes.
Her foundation is “dedicated to creating awareness to broaden horizons to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy”.
Shirley, 56, was unveiled as Len Goodman’s replacement on the BBC show last week.
Nicknamed the Queen of Latin, she is one of the world’s most decorated professional dancers. ● For details on The Ballas Foundation or to donate, go to www.markballas.com/pages/ ballas-foundation