DANCING On Ice star Ben Hanlin has been hiding a secret heartache after his seven-month-old daughter was left battling sepsis in hospital.
The 33-year-old dad-of-two suffered six days of hell at Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital as doctors worked round the clock to save little Delilah.
Dancing On Ice star Ben Hanlin spoke about his daughter’s sepsis horror today
Magician Ben, who even spent a night sleeping on the floor of the ward, told The Sun Online the tot’s temperature rocketed to 103 degrees and left her struggling to breathe last week.
But he kept the news quiet as he performed on Dancing On Ice last Sunday after deciding with his family to do the show after Delilah was released from hospital.
He said: “I only told my dance partner Carlotta [Edwards] and the producers what was going on, but my mind has obviously been elsewhere.
The star’s little daughter Delilah was rushed to hospital with sepsis
Ben and wife Briony raced to hospital after her temperature rocketed to 103 degrees
He only told dance partner Carlotta and his ITV bosses was he was going through
His wife Briony dialled for an ambulance after Delilah seemed to have trouble breathing – with Ben racing back from an awards show he had been due to host.
He said: “She had mottled skin and a temperature of 103. Doctors managed to bring it down with glucose and antibiotics, but we were still in hospital for days.
“It was terrifying. She was hooked up to tubes and put on a drip which is something no parent ever wants to see. The whole thing was a huge shock.
“Luckily, Delilah responded really well to the treatment and she’s now been given the all clear. We couldn’t be more relieved.”
Ben hid his heartache as he performed on Sunday’s Dancing On Ice
He and Carlotta have made a big impression on the show in recent weeks
The magician with daughter Delilah after she was born last year
He added: Its terrifying because I didnt know anything about sepsis before.
“I really want to make sure no other parents have to go through this nightmare and they are aware of the signs and know to get help immediately if they spot something is wrong.
Sepsis, a type of blood poisoning, happens when your body overreacts to an infection and attacks its own organs.
Ben explained he and his family decided he should go ahead with his performance on the show once it was clear Delilah was in a stable condition.
The star is launching a dad-themed podcast with pal Joe Swash
He said: “I was grateful to focus on something else for a few hours. Im enjoying being on the show but with Delilah in hospital it really put things into perspective for me.
“I didnt care about my scores because at the end of the day its just TV. All that matters is that my kids are healthy.
However, despite the nightmare, the magician, who fronted celebrity magic show Tricked, was second on the leaderboard and has been hailed the “dark horse” of the competition.
This week, he and Carlotta have landed the short straw and have been challenged to perform a morris dance on the ice.
Now Delilah has recovered, Ben is going to embark on a live tour and is also teaming up with fellow Dancing On Ice star Joe Swash for a dad-related podcast.
The magician, who also has a two-year-old Son called Elvis, heralded his latest project on Twitter, writing: “We’re going to be talking all things dad related (move over mummy bloggers)!
“We’ve six kids between us, so we know what we’re talking about.”
See Ben on Dancing On Ice on Sunday from 6pm
