It’s only three weeks till Strictly Come Dancing returns, and Adam Thomas has opened up about his efforts to get in shape for the show, admitting that it may be difficult at times.
The Emmerdale and Waterloo Road actor, 35, was named one of 15 new celebs who will take to the dancefloor starting September 23.
Angela Scanlon, Amanda Abbington, Layton Williams, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, and Angela Rippon will all be joining him.
Despite his desire to advance in the tournament, Adam has admitted that his recently diagnosed arthritis has left him ‘not in the ideal position’ to fight.
In August, Adam stated that he had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory autoimmune disorder that may impair mobility, leaving many fans wondering if he’d be able to perform this year.
However, on Monday, the actor uploaded a shirtless selfie of himself after a dip in a pool to let everyone know how he’s doing in the lead-up to Strictly.
Flexing his bicep, he wrote: ‘A very rare sight – me with my top off!’
He then went into much deeper depth about how arthritis has impacted his preparation for the series and how it could effect him in the future.
‘I need to get comfortable feeling uncomfortable! I’m not in the best shape of my life but I could be worse.’
‘This year has been tough – but I’ve just got to stay focused now.
‘I’m still struggling and the pain is still there but I’m putting on a brave face.’
The symptoms of the condition involve stiffness, swelling, and pain in the affected joints – it is incurable but symptoms can be eased with treatment and medication.
He continued: ‘Swimming helps me so much with my arthritis. I mean, as much as it kills me getting my top off and going for a swim, I know it’s helping me.’
‘I know it’s also helping me deal with the issues I’ve got with me and my body. Which is a good thing,’ he concluded his statement.
Meanwhile, one of Adam’s opponents, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, has stated that he sought medical advice after becoming concerned about ‘falling dead’ throughout the series.
The Channel 4 news presenter, who has genetic heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, said he had to keep his heart rate out of ‘the red zone’.
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 everyday 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.
Watch Strictly Come Dancing on the BBC from September 23.
Source My Celebrity Life.
