Strictly Come Dancing’s Shirley Ballas has revealed a secret health condition she was told not to discuss and opened up about how it has affected her career. 

The head judge on the BBC show, 64, spoke out about her health struggles on Loose Women on Monday. 

The star confessed that she has been battling a leaking bladder and as a result she has been forced to avoid drinking while in the studio. 

Because of her condition, the former professional dancer has become an ambᴀssador for a campaign that promotes pelvic floor exercises and encourages women to seek help if they experience any leaking. 

Although Shirley bravely spoke out about the issue on the ITV panel show, she revealed she had previously been warned to avoid discussing it. 

Host Christine Lampard said: ‘Here on Loose Women, we never shy away from taboo topics, so today we are marking bladder health month and discussing bladder leaks.’

Strictly Come Dancing’s Shirley Ballas, 64, has revealed a secret health condition she was told not to discuss and opened up about how it has affected her career.

The star confessed that she has been battling a leaking bladder and as a result she has been forced to avoid drinking while in the studio on Monday’s episode of Loose Women

Although Shirley bravely spoke out about the issue on the ITV panel show, she revealed she had previously been warned to avoid discussing it because of fears over her career

Shirley then joined in on the discussion and advised women to take on daily pelvic floor exercises.

She said: ‘I feel like bladder leaks are a bit of a taboo subject that no one wants to talk about. I think it’s important for women to do their pelvic floor exercises and understand it should be part of our daily routine.

Read More Strictly’s head judge Shirley Ballas reveals the decision that ‘changed her life forever’

The star then revealed that her bladder leakages got worse following her pregnancies and menopause. 

‘Being a dancer, I do them all the time; I have learned how to do them. But when I was giving birth, and I was pregnant, particularly during menopause, I struggled with that, bladder leaks.’, she revealed.

Shirley added: ‘I talked to my mum about it, and my mother’s generation, it is a taboo subject; she doesn’t want to talk about it. In fact, when she knew I was coming this morning, I hope you’re watching, mother, she was like, ‘Oh dear, you can’t talk about that!’

‘But I think it is a subject heading and when you have a job on the TV, if you have a platform and you can help the ladies out, then for me its extremely important.’

Christine then said: ‘What is interesting is that we see you and what you do in such a physical job, and you wouldn’t have ᴀssumed this was something you were quietly having to battle behind the scenes. 

‘It’s something you have to think about; it changes the way you work potentially.’

The star then told the panel that her bladder leakages got worse following her pregnancies and menopause

‘Being a dancer, I do them all the time; I have learned how to do them. But when I was giving birth, and I was pregnant, particularly during menopause, I struggled with that, bladder leaks.’, she revealed

Shirley hen revealed the drastic measures she has been forced to take to avoid any embarrᴀssing moments. 

She confessed: ‘Well, it does. I don’t drink fluids. I don’t drink water at all if I’m travelling or I’m in the studio. But I think most women, if you sneeze, for example, if you laugh, particularly at 64 years of age, and now I’m noticing it even more.’

She then told the panel that it was her personal experience that led her to speak out and encourage other women to work on their pelvic floor so that no one feels they should suffer in silence 

‘I thought let me do this subject heading, let me get everybody engaged with doing their pelvic floor and understanding that it’s extremely important we talk about, share and don’t suffer in silence.

The star has been increasingly open about her personal life.

Last month, she revealed on an appearance on Jennie Becker’s Sliding Doors podcast, Shirley revealed the moment her career took off, but explained she had to put marriage and kids on hold.

She explained: ‘I was engaged to a man called Nigel Tiffany and we had recently moved to Croydon. I was a secretary, highly underqualified but managed to talk my way into the job.

‘Everything was going fine, we were very very happy and then I was at work one day when my teacher Nina called me and she said, “do you really want to get married and have a family or do you want a real chance at stardom?”

Shirley has revealed the decision that ‘changed her life forever’ as she opened up on putting her personal life on hold for her career during a new interview

‘Now Nigel was a ballroom dancer and he was doing very well in that, but my heart was always with the Latin and she wanted me to try with a man called Sammy Stopford.

‘I was miles away from where he was, but she said I have ten minutes to think about it and then try out would be at the studio tomorrow. Don’t tell Nigel when you go home and we’ll go from there.’

Shirley went against what her dance teacher had asked, adding: ‘I went home and I told him and he got most upset. I ended up leaving with my clothes in plastic bags and ended up meeting my long-term girlfriend Denise because I stayed with her grandmother.

‘I then moved to Manchester with Sammy and we got married maybe 18 months later. We had the most amazing career in a short space of time so had I not made that decision, I’m sure I would be very happy with Nigel and had a lovely life, but I never would have fulfilled the dreams in Latin.

‘It changed my life forever, put me on a track to really having an opportunity in the world of Latin dancing.’

Loose Women airs weekdays on ITV at 12:30pm.