‘DWTS’ Pro Mark Ballas’ Mom Shirley Rushed to Hospital for ‘Painful’ Injury

Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas is recovering from a painful injury after being rushed to the accident and emergency department of her local hospital with a broken ankle. The head judge, who is the mother of Dancing With the Stars pro Mark Ballas, reassured her fans that she would be able to return to Strictly Come Dancing despite the injury, which she said is a “clean break” that would heal in just six weeks.

Ballas said she was learning to use crutches in the meanwhile to help her ambulate. “I just finished in A&E and I have a clean break on my right ankle, so I’m not using plaster of Paris anymore; they use a boot,” she says in a video showing off her new boot. “So I’m learning to walk on these crutches – crutches, right foot, close, a bit like the Waltz. Anyway, I’m going to be absolutely fine for Strictly.”

In the video’s caption, Ballas called the injury “painful,” but said she was doing her best to “trolly on” with the help of partner Daniel Taylor, who had been by her side every step of the way. Taylor also shared an update on Ballas’ progress, sharing a photo of the pro dancer being pushed in a wheelchair by an NHS staff member and another with her in her hospital room. “In A&E with this brave soldier [Shirley Ballas]!” he captioned the photos. “You can never say it enough but thank you to our amazing #NHS for your time and care and of course all the sacrifices you all make on a daily basis to look after our country.”

Just as Ballas’ hospital stay was affected by the coronavirus outbreak, with she and Taylor wearing masks throughout the entirety of her treatment, Strictly Come Dancing will have a slightly different season due to the pandemic. While the BBC confirmed that a new season is indeed coming in 2020, it announced last month that the season would be “slightly shorter” than usual.

“The Strictly Come Dancing team are doing everything they can to bring the nation plenty of Strictly magic later this year,” a spokesperson for the show said in June. “To ensure we deliver the high standards audiences know and love, and in light of the ongoing considerations around COVID-19, this year’s series of Strictly will have a slightly shorter run than usual. The safety of our cast and crew is of the utmost importance to us and further updates will be made in due course.”