Shirley Ballas couldn’t breathe for 20 minutes after she choked on a fish bone moments before the Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool special.

The head judge, 65, revealed she almost didn’t make Saturday’s show due to the ‘terrifying’ incident.

Shirley’s make-up artist Jane Burstow came to her rescue and dislodged the blockage by performing the Heimlich manoeuvre.

Recalling the ‘terrifying’ moment to fans on Instagram, Shirley said: ‘I choked on a fish bone.

‘It got lodged in my throat, and my wonderful Jane, who has been with me for nine years, did the Heimlich manoeuvre, and we got the bone out. But for 20 minutes there, it was lodged and I couldn’t breathe so it was terrifying.

‘We’d have been a judge down tonight if it wasn’t for her…

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Shirley Ballas felt she couldn’t breathe for 20 minutes after she choked on a fish bone moments before the Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool special

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The panicked head judge, 65, revealed she almost didn’t make Saturday’s show due to the ‘terrifying’ incident

‘Gratitude to Jane because I panicked. I really thought that was it, the end, amen.’

Shirley is now back in London and she updated her fans on how she is feeling.

The star said: ‘I’m a bit hoarse, but all is good.’

In another Instagram post, she added: ‘Almost didn’t make it to the desk last night.’

Following the horror ordeal, Shirley has now vowed to learn the Heimlich manoeuvre – which involves someone performing abdominal thrusts to dislodge an object that may be stuck in someone’s airways – in case she needs to use it in the future.

She said: ‘I’m going to study now in case I ever come across anybody who needs my help.’

Fans took to Instagram and told Shirley: ‘Really glad to hear you’re ok’ and ‘how scary for you’.

The incident happened after Shirley said Strictly Come Dancing will go on ‘long after I’m gone’, despite concerns for its future following a string of scandals.

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In another Instagram post, she added: ‘Almost didn’t make it to the desk last night’

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Shirley put on a brave face for the Strictly live show, but admitted on social media the ‘terrifying’ incident has left her wanting to take a First Aid course

Fans took to Instagram and told Shirley: ‘Really glad to hear you’re ok’ and ‘how scary for you’

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Shirley joined her fellow judges and hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on the dancefloor for the Strictly special

It was revealed on Sunday that bosses have been left in a ‘panic’ after the news that a former star was arrested on suspicion of raping a woman following a BBC event.

The scandal was the latest to hit the BAFTA-winning programme, coming just three months after another unnamed male star was arrested on suspicion of rape.

But Shirley has declared that she has no concerns that Strictly will remain on screens for many years to come.

The dancer added that ‘no one is bigger’ than the beloved show, noting similar doubts that surrounded Strictly when she replaced Len Goodman as head judge in 2017.

Shirley said: ‘Nobody is bigger than Strictly Come Dancing. Not me, not any presenters, not any dancers – that show belongs to the people.

She went on to tell The Sun On Sunday: ‘When I came on the show in 2017, nobody knew me and it was, “Oh will it fail? Will it be this? Will it be that?”

‘It carried on ticking and it’ll carry on ticking long after I’m gone and kicked my clogs.’