Shirley Ballas, 64, shares moving tribute as BBC Strictly star honours late brother following tragic death
Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has paid tribute to her late brother David with a new tattoo, created as part of a 24-hour charity fundraising event.
The 64-year-old ballroom star received the meaningful ink on Saturday, becoming the second participant in tattooist Tal Booker’s marathon session to raise funds for suicide prevention charity CALM.
The tattoo features David’s first and second initials alongside his surname “Rich”, permanently etched on Ballas’s forearm.
She proudly displayed the fresh design on Instagram, beaming as she held up her arm for the camera.
David died by suicide in 2003 at the age of 44.
Ballas shared her experience on social media, writing: “A tattoo for my brother… thank you @talbooker [love heart emoji].
“Honoured to be tattoo number 2 of 24 in your #TattooAThon.”
The fundraising event saw Booker, brother of Love Island star Eyal Booker, complete 24 tattoos within 24 hours on June 7-8.
The 31-year-old tattooist organised the marathon to support CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably).
MORE LIKE THIS:
Shirley Ballas gives stern warning to fans over scammers as she pleads ‘stay safe’ in urgent messageBBC Strictly ‘fix’ row erupts as fans call for urgent format change over ‘biased’ Shirley Ballas decisionShirley Ballas breaks cover as she addresses ‘vitriol’ of BBC Strictly outrage over ‘bias’ scoring row
Booker previously explained his motivation on Instagram: “The most likely thing to kill a young person is themselves, and around 18 people day in the UK die by suicide. One of the ways we can change that, is by talking about it.”
Ballas has previously spoken openly about her brother’s struggles with depression.
Speaking on the Great Company with Jamie Laing podcast last December, she described how David experienced his mental health challenges “like being in a dark, black hole that he couldn’t climb out of.”
The family had attempted to get him sectioned, but when they arrived at the hospital, David recognised someone on the steps.
According to Ballas: “He was the macho man on the housing estate, and he was too embarrassed, he made them turn the car around.”
She reflected that at the time, mental health issues weren’t discussed openly, with doctors simply prescribing antidepressants.
Ballas has expressed lasting guilt about encouraging her mother to leave David alone on the day he died to attend her son Mark’s performance at St Paul’s church in London.
“She blames herself, but I blame myself because I was the one pushing her to go. She felt she shouldn’t have left,” she revealed on the podcast.
David left behind a 10-year-old daughter, Mary, who Ballas describes as “the most remarkable human being”, now working for the NHS.
As an ambassador for CALM, Ballas now prioritises checking in on friends who may be struggling, advocating for better communication and mental health awareness.