Former Strictly Come Dancing favourite Adam Thomas opened up about his struggle with arthritis on Wednesday’s This Morning.
Chatting with hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, ITV audiences were moved as he revealed that at one stage, the pain was so intense that his wife had to assist him with dressing.
Dr Zoe Williams weighed in on Adam’s decision to come off medication, emphasising the importance of a lifestyle-first approach.
She said: “With any illness like this, lifestyle first. If people can get themselves better and manage their illness with a lifestyle approach, fantastic.”
Dr Zoe also discussed Adam’s adoption of a carnivore diet, cautioning that it isn’t recommended for the long term due to potential nutritional deficiencies.
Strictly’s Adam Thomas had wife dress him as he recalls ‘challenging’ health battle
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However, she acknowledged the difficulty in persuading someone who has experienced significant relief from such an intervention to discontinue it.
She added: “But, tell somebody like Adam, who at one point your wife had to help you get dressed in the morning, who was in that much pain, who’s now able to go to the gym and move freely because there’s been a dietary intervention to stop, they’re not going to.”
Adam confirmed the necessity of his wife’s assistance during Dr Zoe’s comments and further shared the impact of his condition during his stint on Strictly Come Dancing.
In 2023, the actor graced the BBC dance floor with professional partner Luba Mushtuk, making it to week seven before the judges voted them off, reports the Mirror.
Adam was on the BBC dance show back in 2023
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
Reflecting on his experience, he shared with the presenters: “I got the diagnosis literally just before I did Strictly. I signed up to do Strictly way before any of this. So, I just thought the pain would go away and it didn’t. Doing Strictly, it was very challenging.”
Ben lightened the mood with a joke about Adam’s dancing abilities, prompting the actor to burst out laughing. Adam admitted that some dances required adjustments, as he revealed: “You had to go there, didn’t you?!
“But, you look back at some of the dances and I don’t do any lifts or any swirls or anything like that. I couldn’t lift her up. But, even after the diagnosis it’s finding the right medication that works for you and every body is different.”
Ben asked if there was a family history of the condition, and Adam revealed it had come out of the blue for him, although it was hereditary.
The actor revealed he’s come off of his medication and is doing the carnivore diet
(Image: ITV)
He confided: “That’s what worries me the most. My kids might possibly get this one day. So I’m doing everything and anything I can do now to try and find a blueprint, so if it does happen, then I can pass that information on.”
Regarding his medication, Adam shared his experiences with a short dose of chemotherapy, revealing that he suffered from side effects such as sickness and fatigue.
Adam informed Ben and Cat that he has since stopped taking the medication and is now following the carnivore diet, after noticing improvements around Christmas.
Adam shared: “It’s been a long journey but, I’m starting to see light at the end of the tunnel now, which is good.”
This Morning continues weekdays on ITV from 10am.