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Shirley Ballas remembers brother David on anniversary of his suicide-Jess Bacon-Entertainment – Metro
David’s picture is part of a new suicide prevention charity exhibit in London.
Shirley Ballas has paid tribute to her late brother on the anniversary of him taking his own life (Picture: Rex)
Shirley Ballas has opened up about her brother David’s suicide on the anniversary of his death.
Strictly Come Dancing’s head judge took to social media to pay tribute to her brother who took his own life 19 years ago in 2003.
Alongside an image of Shirley and her mother stood next to a portrait of David, which is shown in a photo installation at London’s Southbank by suicide prevention charity, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) of the final photos taken of people before they took their own life.
Shirley began the caption, as she revealed that she still struggles to come to terms with her brother’s death: ‘On the 5th of December all those years ago. My dear brother decided to take his own life.
‘To this day I’ll never be free of “What could I have done more.” Dearest David time goes so fast where have the years gone, you are missed on a daily basis.
‘Talked about often and never forgotten.’
Shirley is an ambassador for CALM and said she will continue to support their mission to help others struggling with their mental health (Picture: PA)
She also shared a more recent photo of herself with her mum and David’s daughter Mary, as they perched on the stairs of the family home adorned with Christmas decorations.
‘We celebrated your life yesterday,’ Shirley continued in her heartfelt caption, ‘your daughter Mary, your mum and me. Still so difficult that you are not here. But I’m sure you would be so proud of Mary in so many ways.’
The professional dancer said she would continue to keep her sibling in her heart and at the forefront of her mind, as she works as an ambassador for CALM.
The emotional 61-year-old said she still had to come to terms with life without her brother as she wonders what she could have done differently (Picture: PA)
Shirley also took photos with David’s now-grown daughter, her niece, Mary (Picture: Shirley Ballas/Instagram)
Shirley penned: ‘I’ll continue to work for @calmzone to help others like you a constant reminder to always watch out for those who are feeling low. Love you so much David you are always in our hearts. Continue to R.I.P.’
Before, the 61-year-old encouraged her 264,000 followers to check in on their loved ones who might be lonely, grieving or struggling at Christmas especially.
‘Anyone out there with thoughts of loneliness or any other dark thoughts please reach out #calm to all, let’s be vigilant on checking in on our loved ones and friends this December and always. You are loved,’ Shirley finished.
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She added the hashtags: ‘#suicide, #suicideprevention, #family, #brother, #son, #uncle, #dad.’
Fans, friends and her Strictly co-stars flooded the comments with messages of love, as Fleur East, Nancy Xu and Carlos Gu left strings of love heart emoji for the dance show icon.
Need support?
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. You can also visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
If you’re a young person, or concerned about a young person, you can also contact PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide UK. Their HOPELINK digital support platform is open 24/7, or you can call 0800 068 4141, or email: pat@papyrus-uk.org between the hours of 9am and midnight.
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