Strictly's Adam Thomas opens up about how his arthritis is affecting training
"There's not been a day that I've woken up without being in pain."
Emmerdale star, Waterloo Road icon and now Strictly Come Dancing contestant Adam Thomas has been looking forward to the talent show ever since he got the call to say he'd be competing this year.
He was "over the moon", albeit slightly "apprehensive" about taking part - but knew it was ultimately the right decision.
Now he has started to don his dancing shoes and is ready to give it all he can.
Thomas previously revealed he signed up to this year's show because he wants "to be able to move again", after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune and inflammatory disease in which your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, often targeting the joints.
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During a break in between filming for the upcoming series of Waterloo Road, Adam Thomas chatted with RadioTimes.com with sheer enthusiasm about Strictly Come Dancing, and opened up about his struggles with arthritis as he begins training.
He explained: "I'll be honest, its impact is already here. It's difficult, you know, there's some stuff that I can't necessarily do. Stuff that I'm in pain doing.
"I think since January, there's not been a day that I've woken up without being in pain - as drastic as it sounds, it's the truth. Every day is a struggle."
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While keeping a positive outlook on the situation, the soap star revealed he has been trying to cut out things that may affect his arthritis as he begins training for the talent show.
He continued: "I'm just taking every day as it comes, and it is going to be struggle. I've got my arthritis to think of but I'm just trying to do my best. That's all I can do.
"And, you know, hopefully I can hang on in there and and get through week by week. There's no doubt about it - it's definitely gonna be tough."
Thomas will be joining the likes of Angela Rippon, Les Dennis and Zara McDermott to compete for the famed Glitterball trophy.
Strictly Come Dancing starts at 6:35pm on 16th September on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
