Dancing On Ice star Ben Hanlin reveals seven-month-old daughter Delilah’s secret sepsis battle

Dancing On Ice star Ben Hanlin has revealed that his seven-month-old daughter Delilah secretly battled sepsis and was hospitalised for six days last week.

The magician, who shares Delilah and son Elvis, two, with wife Briony Hanlin, revealed that his little girl was struggling to breathe as her temperature soared to 103 degrees.

‘The doctors said if we had called the ambulance just half an hour later, it could have been a completely different story,’ he told The Sun. ‘Delilah only responded so well because we called 999 so quickly.’

Ben admitted that he kept quiet about the worrying incident and only performed on Sunday's Dancing On Ice, alongside partner Carlotta Edwards, after Delilah was discharged from hospital.

‘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 revealed that he now wants to raise awareness of sepsis, as he 'didn't know anything about it before', and wants to help other parents spot the signs early.

He added, ‘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.’

Sepsis, a type of blood poisoning, happens when your body overreacts to an infection and attacks its own organs and tissues. If not treated immediately, sepsis can result in organ failure and death - yet with early diagnosis, it can be treated with antibiotics.