Strictly Come Dancing Star's Painful Health Revelation After Treatment Lapse
Former Emmerdale actor and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Adam Thomas has shared a candid health update after experiencing what he describes as a "big wake-up call" regarding his inflammatory arthritis condition.
Severe Pain Return After Christmas Treatment Neglect
The 37-year-old television personality, best known for playing Adam Barton in the long-running ITV soap, revealed he woke up recently with "severe pain" in his wrists after becoming complacent with his treatment regimen over the festive period.
Thomas, who competed on the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing with professional partner Luba Mushtuk, shared a revealing photograph on Instagram showing him administering his medication via injection alongside an emotional caption about his health struggles.
"Stop thinking you're invincible, because you're not!" he wrote in the social media post that has resonated with many followers facing similar chronic health challenges.
Dual Condition Battle: Arthritis and Psoriasis
The actor's health journey involves managing two interconnected conditions:
- Inflammatory arthritis - diagnosed after experiencing constant pain and mobility difficulties
- Psoriasis - a chronic skin condition causing inflamed, scaly patches that developed as a complication
Thomas explained that after enjoying a relatively pain-free period, he began noticing symptoms returning in recent days, with discomfort in his wrists and fingers preceding the reappearance of psoriasis patches across his body.
The Middle-of-the-Night Reality Check
The actor described a particularly distressing moment that served as his health reality check: "I woke up in the middle of the night with severe pain in my wrists. In that moment, I went straight back to that scared little boy I used to be, living with pain and fear."
While the pain has somewhat subsided since that episode, Thomas acknowledges that he's no longer pain-free and suspects his body may have developed tolerance to his medication after missed doses.
"The meds I'm on - your body can get used to them, miss them, and they can stop working altogether. That thought scares me!" he confessed in his social media update.
Learning to Live with Chronic Conditions
Thomas reflected on the psychological aspect of managing long-term health issues, stating: "Truth is... I got comfortable, I got lazy, I thought I'd beaten it, but I was wrong. It's still there, I can feel it, waiting."
He offered a sobering perspective for others facing similar challenges: "Truth is I don't think you beat it, you just learn to live with it, control it!"
Diagnosis Journey and Public Health Message
The actor has previously spoken about his difficult path to diagnosis, which began when he woke one morning believing he had broken both wrists due to excruciating pain. After X-rays and MRI scans showed no bone damage or obvious concerns, he was eventually referred to a rheumatoid specialist who provided the inflammatory arthritis diagnosis.
Thomas described this diagnostic period as particularly challenging: "That was the most challenging bit because I was in so much pain and nobody was really giving me any answers. So not only mentally but physically that was draining."
His latest social media post serves as both a personal reminder and public health message: "This is a reminder to myself, and to anyone else who needs to hear it - don't get comfortable, don't get lazy, don't think you're invincible. I need to start taking care of my body again!"
The former I'm A Celebrity... contestant concluded with advice about balancing his current fitness training with body awareness: "Yes, I'm enjoying training at the moment, but maybe I just need to not overdo it so much and focus on listening to my body again. Stay consistent and look after yourself."
