Dancing On Ice's Ben Hanlin speaks out over daughter's terrifying sepsis battle

Ben Hanlin has opened up about the terrifying moment his baby daughter, Delilah, battled sepsis.

The Dancing On Ice star – who shares two children with wife Briony – has revealed his heartache after the seven-month-old was hospitalised for six days, and struggled to breathe.

During an appearance on Loose Women, the 47-year-old explained that he was about to perform a magic act when he got a phone call every parent dreads.

‘I was about to go on stage, I got a phone call from my wife, Briony, saying she had called an ambulance. I was like, “Right, I’m coming home”.

‘They took one look at her, with her mottled skin and 103-degree temperature. She was struggling to breathe, her hands and feet were turning blue.

‘They said, “We’ve got to go”. They didn’t mess about.’

Praising the doctors, he continued: ‘They gave her amazing attention.

‘Within two hours they got her stable, it was a long two hours. We were very, very, very lucky. We were one of the lucky ones and got her there [to hospital] quickly.

‘She’s great now, she’s 100 percent.’

Sepsis, also known as blood poisoning, occurs when the body attacks its own tissues and organs, as a reaction to an infection.

It can initially look like the flu or a chest infection, with symptoms including fast breathing, fits or convulsions, and a rash that doesn’t fade when you press it.

Ben spoke out about Delilah’s health issues last week, in a bid to raise awareness over the condition, as well as the symptoms.

‘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,’ he told the Sun.

‘Luckily, Delilah responded really well to the treatment and she’s now been given the all-clear. We couldn’t be more relieved.’

But he revealed they could have had a different outcome if Briony hadn’t called for help so quickly.

‘The doctors said if we had called the ambulance just half an hour later, it could have been a completely different story,’ he continued.

‘Delilah only responded so well because we called 999 so quickly.’ Ben returned to the competition last Sunday, after his youngest child was released from the hospital.

Loose Women airs on weekdays, at 12.30, on ITV.

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