Strictly star ‘finding it hard to walk’ due to chronic condition

Strictly Come Dancing star Adam Thomas has opened up about his chronic health condition (Picture: PA)

Strictly Come Dancing star Adam Thomas has been struggling to walk amid his arthritis battle, which has left him in pain ‘every day’ for the past two years.

The Emmerdale actor revealed in August 2023 that he had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and in a new update the 36-year-old shared that he is coming off his latest medication because the side effects have become ‘too much’.

Adam, who was partnered with Luba Mushtuk on Strictly last year, wrote on Instagram: ‘My arthritis journey… So for those of you that know, I’ve been on my methotrexate injections for quite some time and the side effects were just too much for me, I’ve had enough so I’ve decided to come off them…

‘I’ve been off them now for 5 weeks or so and not been on anything and the pain has definitely increased, finding it hard to walk again, especially in the morning and my wrists and fingers are just as bad if not worse!

‘I’ve been taking a lot of pain killers to get me through and they have helped ease the pain where am able to train but the next day my body is just in bits.’

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Adam explained that he’s trying another type of medication, sulfasalazine tablets, in a bid to ease the pain, and he is hoping to ‘stay positive’.

Alongside selfies of him in hospital, he continued: ‘So back to the hospital today to try something else… I know a lot of you have recommended the biologics but in order for me to get on to these, I have to have tried at least two different medications first. So i have tried the methotrexate tablets and injections and now Im going on to sulfasalazine tablets. It’s a long process but I just have to stay positive! (sic).’

The Waterloo Road actor admitted the only time he hasn’t been in pain over the last couple of years was when he took steroid injections during his time on Strictly.

He said: ‘The thing is I’ve never been pain free!! Over two years I’ve been in pain EVERYDAY and as you can imagine it definitely takes its toll.

‘The only time I can think of, that I’ve not been pain free, is when I was doing Strictly… 4-5 weeks in the pain was unbearable to the point I couldn’t physically carry on anymore I was putting on a brave face, but really I was suffering!

‘Even though I was in pain and physically I was suffering, in my mind I wanted to keep going and the team at strictly mentioned steroid injections to help ease the pain a little and it worked massively!!!

‘I was still s*** at dancing but the pain had eased off. And so il be honest I just need some breathing space again to feel normal again and so that’s what I’ve had again today!

‘So fingers crossed! I know it’s no cure but it just gives me a little time until the other meds kick in!

‘I genuinely do not talk to anyone about any of this, and the reason I share this is because I know a lot of you are suffering, but I want you to know that we have to stay strong! no one will understand what we are going through it’s tough some good days some bad, but we can’t let it beat us. I refuse to give in!!’

Adam was showered in support in the comments, with @parkerwords writing: ‘Love and strength geezer.’

‘I hear u Adam! I promise you it gets easier! It is hard at the beginning, but it gets easier,’ @05jake_l said.

During his stint on Strictly last year, Adam shared an update on his health condition, telling Metro.co.uk: ‘It’s been tough, but I’m on the road to recovery.’

Adam went on: ‘A couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t really walk, I couldn’t really do much.

‘So to get to this point that I’m at now, I’m just so happy. I just want to get on that dance floor, start moving, and I’m just happy to be here and to be able to do it.’

He added: ‘I don’t care how far I get, I’m just happy to be here.’

What is rheumatoid arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. The condition usually affects the hands, feet and wrists.

Sometimes symptoms can ‘flare up’ and become worse, which can be difficult to predict.

With treatment it’s possible to decrease how much this happens and minimise or prevent long-term damage to the joints.

Other more general symptoms include tiredness and weight loss.

Diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis early on is important, as early treatment can help reduce the risk of joint damage.

It is an autoimmune disease, which means your immune system mistakenly attacks cells which line your joints, leading to pain, swelling and stiffness.

Over time it can affect not only joints and cartilage, but also bone.

While there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, early diagnosis and treatments can allow sufferers months or even years between flare-ups.

Medicine, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy help keep people mobile, and surgery may be required to help any joint problems that may develop.

Depending on the severity of your arthritis, people may be forced to adapt how they do every day tasks.

Complications include the potential of rheumatoid arthritis to lead to other conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, inflammation of other parts of the body (eyes, lungs, heart), and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

The NHS describes rheumatoid arthritis as a ‘long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints’ with the main affected areas being the hands, feet and wrists.’

There is no cure, but early diagnosis and treatment can prevent ‘flare-ups’ from being a common occurrence. However, depending on the severity of the pain, stiffness, and swelling, sufferers might find overcoming everyday tasks more of a challenge, and have to adapt accordingly.

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