Shirley Ballas nearly fell to her death while climbing Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief

Shirley Ballas has revealed a near-death experience while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for this year’s Comic Relief appeal.

The Strictly Come Dancing head judge took on the challenge earlier this month, with BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker, Pointless host Alexander Armstrong, Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall, Love Island’s Dani Dyer, politician Ed Balls, radio and TV presenter Anita Rani and NFL player Osi Umeniyiora.

Read more: AJ is up for same-sex partner on Strictly this year

However, during the climb, which they completed four days ago, a slip from the professional dancer almost cost her her life.

She told The Sun: “We had to climb the mountain, which is shaped like a nipple, and you can die.

“The ledges were the size of my foot. I slipped and Osi, who is 6ft 4in and an NFL player, had me by the back of my neck, pulling me up to save me.

“You couldn’t describe it to people because you wouldn’t believe it. You had to be there.”

Ballas also revealed that while suffering from altitude sickness and exhaustion, she began hallucinating, hearing the voice of her late brother.

“One day when we were climbing really quite far up, because of the altitude I felt I could hear my brother talking to me,” she said.

Read more: Strictly 2019 pro-dancer line-up confirmed

“I was overwhelmed with how tired I was. You start to become disorientated. I felt I could hear my brother going, ‘Shirley’. It was really strange.

“But I had to remember I was doing this for David and anybody who’s got mental health issues.”

Shirley lost her brother David, who suffered from depression, to suicide, aged 44.

Comic Relief airs on BBC One on March 15.