Overview
- On BBC Breakfast on 18 November, the Strictly judge described witnessing her 88-year-old mother choke and struggle to breathe, calling COPD “really quite scary.”
- She said the condition is debilitating and incurable, and she is working to shield her mother from flu that doctors warn could progress to pneumonia.
- Following her mother’s 2022 diagnosis, Ballas partnered with Sanofi’s Breathe Equal campaign to raise awareness and tackle stigma around COPD.
- She plans to address MPs in Parliament to push for faster diagnosis pathways and improved services for patients in deprived communities.
- Health experts note COPD includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, with nearly two million people in the UK living with the disease, many undiagnosed.