Adam Thomas says arthritis left him struggling to walk

Marie-Claire Dorking
·Contributor
Updated ·6-min read

Watch: Adam Thomas says arthritis left him struggling to walk

Former Strictly Come Dancing star Adam Thomas has given an update on living with arthritis, explaining that he is turning to lifestyle changes to help manage his condition.

The Waterloo Road actor was appearing on This Morning and spoke to presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, about his "challenging" health journey, explaining that arthritis had also sparked the skin condition psoriasis.

Thomas was diagnosed with arthritis in 2023, and was initially told he had rheumatoid arthritis, but the former Strictly Come Dancing contestant, 36, has since discovered that he is actually living with psoriatic arthritis.

Reflecting on his journey to diagnosis he said he found himself in constant pain and struggling to walk. "I got an injury on my knees and I couldn't walk for weeks. It just wasn't getting better."

The Emmerdale star then woke up one morning and thought he had "broken my wrists it was so painful". But when X-Rays showed no broken bones, he was sent for a MRI scan which also showed no concerns. He was then sent to a rheumatoid specialist and was finally diagnosed just before starting rehearsals on Strictly.

"That was the most challenging bit because I was in so much pain and and nobody was really giving me any answers," he recalled. "So not only mentally but physically that was draining."

He added: "It just came out of nowhere. Looking back now my dad was in quite a lot of pain and I just don't think he ever spoke about it.

"But it is hereditary, that's what worries me the most - my kids might get this one day. I'm doing everything I can to find a blueprint now so if it does happen I can pass that on."

Thomas also spoke about the tough side effects his arthritis medication has had, saying: "There was a medication I was on, which is basically like a short dose of chemotherapy and as you can imagine the side effects of that were really challenging. I was just being sick and fatigued and drowsy all the time.

"So that was challenging trying to work. It's been a long journey but I'm starting to see the light."

The actor explained that as he has now come off his medication he is focussing on lifestyle changes to help manage the condition including adopting a "carnivore diet".

"A couple of weeks into me trying to carnivore diet, my life changed," he explained. "Like, genuinely, I just felt like my knees got a little less tighter, my fingers went down so and I started that just before Christmas. Meat and eggs that's all I have now."

Touching on Thomas coming off of medication, Dr Zoe, who appeared alongside the actor, said: "With any illness like this, lifestyle first. If people can get themselves better and manage their illness with a lifestyle approach, fantastic."

But she went on to advise that any lifestyle changes to help manage health conditions should be done under medical supervision.

She went on to caution that a carnivore diet may not be advisable in the long term due to the risk of nutritional deficiencies.

"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," she conceded.

Dr Zoe later suggested the Mediterranean diet could be a good option as it is anti-inflammatory but you can get all your nutrients.

Adam Thomas competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023. (BBC/Guy Levy)
Adam Thomas competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023. (BBC/Guy Levy)

Thomas previously shared how living with arthritis has impacted his life. "The thing is I’ve never been pain free!!” he wrote in a post on Instagram. "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!"

The NHS says psoriatic arthritis is a long-term condition that causes joint pain, swelling and stiffness. Medicines can help treat the symptoms. Some people with the skin condition psoriasis may develop psoriatic arthritis as they get older.

Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis are similar to rheumatoid arthritis and include, pain, swelling and stiffness in one or more joints, swollen fingers or toes. Other potential symptoms include your nails changing from their usual colour, or tiny dents or pits developing in your nails. You may also feel drained of energy.

There is no cure for psoriatic arthritis, but thankfully it can be treated and managed. The main treatment for psoriatic arthritis is medicines, which can include.

  • non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – which can help with mild symptoms

  • steroid injections – injected into the joints to help ease the pain

  • disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) – used for moderate to severe symptoms

  • biological treatments – usually given by injection and can be used if DMARDs do not help

You may also be referred to a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, or both.

If you’re living with psoriatic arthritis the NHS also recommends:

  • exercise regularly – particularly low impact exercises like swimming, walking and yoga, which can help strengthen and protect your joints

  • trying to lose weight if you're overweight to reduce pressure on your joints

  • cutting down on alcohol particularly if you're taking medicines – alcohol can affect medicines

There are some subtle differences between rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. (Getty Images)
There are some subtle differences between rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. (Getty Images)

While there are a number of arthritic conditions psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are two of the most common and share many similarities, including:

  • symptoms like pain, stiffness, and swelling

  • both being autoimmune diseases

  • both gradually damaging a person’s joints, bones, and tendons

However, there are some differences between the two conditions. While a person with PsA may also experience psoriatic skin conditions, someone living with RA will commonly experience symptoms in the knuckles and middle joints of their fingers and may present with rheumatoid nodules, among other complications. There are also some differences in treatments of the two conditions.

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