Shirley: I don't want back op unless it's Strictly necessary

SHIRLEY Ballas is hoping to freeze out having back surgery for as long as possible - by drinking fruit and veg juice and taking ice baths.

- Mark Jefferies

The Strictly Come Dancing head judge recently revealed she might need operations to help with ongoing serious back problems.

But now, after more consultations, she has changed her lifestyle in a bid to give surgery the cold shoulder until it is absolutely necessary.

Shirley, 64, said: "I've got this disorder in my spine-degenerative spine which I haven't really talked about with anybody yet. But it is three types of operation. And I don't want to do the operations so I am doing anti-inflammatory.

"I am trying to do more juicing, I am doing ice bathing."

Describing her chilly early morning routine, she added: "I have got a brass monkey ice bath. I can go up to about four minutes now. I have built up to [it] in the freezing, freezing cold at 5am."