By Faith Ridler For Mailonline
Published: 00:29 GMT, 16 March 2019 | Updated: 00:29 GMT, 16 March 2019
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Shirley Ballas has recalled the heartbreak of losing her brother to suicide in a touching film on her reason for taking part in the Comic Relief Mount Kilimanjaro trek.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 58, said she believes her brother David would 'still be here' if he'd had somebody to go to as he battled depression.
Speaking to Paul, who turned back from taking his own life with the help of Comic Relief-funded charity Calm, she said: 'My brother took his own life. You know, he was a young man, 44.'
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Close to her heart: Shirley Ballas has recalled the heartbreak of losing her brother to suicide in a touching film on her reason for taking part in the Comic Relief Mount Kilimanjaro trek
She added: 'His partner found him, no note, no letter, no goodbye. I can only imagine 16 years ago, if my brother would have had somewhere to go, someone to talk to, someone to share his feelings... I truly believe in my heart, today, he would still be here.'
In footage aired earlier in the week, she added: 'He was like my brother, my father, my best friend and he was lonely, he felt low. He said like he'd got into a dark hole, he couldn’t get out of.
'I'd call him on the phone and tell him, "Come on Dave, you're going to be fine," because I was uneducated so that’s why in some ways I blame myself.'
Shirley's brother David took his own
