Ben Hanlin’s seven-month-old daughter battled sepsis last week.
The 33-year-old magician – who is currently competing on ‘Dancing on Ice’ – has admitted he struggled with his focus on the ITV ice dancing competition last week, after he was forced to rush his daughter Delilah to Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital, where doctors worked around the clock for six days to save her from the life-threatening condition.
He explained: "I only told my dance partner Carlotta [Edwards] and the producers what was going on, but my mind has obviously been elsewhere.
"The doctors said if we had called the ambulance just half an hour later, it could have been a completely different story. Delilah only responded so well because we called 999 so quickly."
Ben’s wife Briony dialled for an ambulance after Delilah seemed to have trouble breathing, and the tot was whisked away to hospital for treatment for the condition, which is a type of blood poisoning caused by the body’s response to an infection.
He added: "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."
Thankfully, Delilah has been "given the all clear" and is now back at home resting after a stressful week.
Ben – who also has two-year-old son Elvis – told The Sun Online: "Luckily, Delilah responded really well to the treatment and she’s now been given the all clear. We couldn’t be more relieved.
"It’s terrifying because I didn’t 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."
Ben Hanlin’s daughter in sepsis battle
