Celebrity Bear Hunt's Shirley Ballas thought her heart was 'going to pump out of her chest' on Netflix show
Shirley Ballas sparked concern amongst 'Celebrity Bear Hunt' bosses when her heart nearly pumped "out of [her] chest" during a gruelling challenge on the Netflix show.
Shirley Ballas had to be calmed down by 'Celebrity Bear Hunt' bosses after her heart almost pumped "out of [her] chest".
The 'Strictly Come Dancing' head judge and 11 other stars were dropped into a Costa Rican jungle as they became "prey" for adventurer Bear Grylls in the new Netflix show.
As part of running away from the 50-year-old survival expert, they had to complete a series of gruelling challenges - with one that involved crossing a broken bridge high above the jungle causing panic for Shirley and ringing alarm bells for bosses over her safety.
Shirley exclusively told BANG Showbiz on behalf of WhichBingo: "The bridge that we had to climb over had all these slats missing.
"And if you've got a fear of heights ... my heart was racing so fast, I thought it was going to pump out of my chest, so they were talking to me.
"They tried to calm me down, and then you just have to figure a way to get across this bridge - of which I did my very best.
"I didn't do it in the time allotted, but I did get to the other side.
"Those things are a huge achievement for me."
The 64-year-old dancer was the eldest person in the group, and her age caused difficulties.
She added: "I struggled, as a 64-year-old, doing most things. The heat was horrendous.
"I had to really put myself out there as the eldest person in the group of celebrities."
Shirley was joined out in South America by the 49-year-old Spice Girls star Mel B, the 57-year-old retired tennis great Boris Becker and the 42-year-old TV presenter Steph McGovern.
Shirley admitted she is "not a lover" of mixing with people she does not know, but being on the show has taught her that they "have got lots of things to offer".
Speaking about her fellow jungle survivors, Shirley said: "I enjoyed being around people that I didn't know.
"Of course, I knew Steph [from her former Channel 4 show] 'Steph's Packed Lunch' a little bit, and I just totally fell in love with Boris Becker - what a gentleman.
"There were so many people in there that were just fantastic."
'Celebrity Bear Hunt' is available to stream now on Netflix.
