Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood previously revealed his shock after being told he had arthritis aged just 48.
The pro dancer has been a regular on TV screens for years thanks to his stint on the glitzy BBC One show – which returns to screens tonight (November 15).
However, a few years back, Craig suffered a painful injury during a performance of Snow White that left him in “crippling” agony. But more shocks were to come for Craig as he was later told he had arthritis.
Strictly’s Craig Revel Horwood in agony after injury
Back in 2013, during a performance of Snow White, Craig – now 60 – ended up seriously injuring himself.
“I thought I had pulled a ligament but the horrible truth was that I had put my hip out and it was out of its socket for the panto run,” he told The Mirror in 2014 about the ordeal.
Instead of getting the injury looked at by medical professionals, Craig admitted he was “popping painkillers and having a three-hour massage every other day”.
Unfortunately for Craig though, the pain got “progressively worse”, so, thinking enough is enough, he visited a specialist. There, he had an X-ray and MRI scan and was diagnosed with a condition that left him “stunned”.
Craig ‘stunned’ by diagnosis
Craig revealed: “I was stunned when the doctor told me I had arthritis and needed a hip replacement. I was only 48.”
He added: “Basically, I had worn out both hip joints from dancing and ballet, and it was made worse by the fact that I have arthritis. My mother suffers from rheumatoid arthritis but I have osteoarthritis.”
Craig has gone on to have two hip replacement surgeries due to experiencing severe pain. Following the injury in 2013, Craig had the operation, and the gruelling recovery process saw him bound to a wheelchair.
He then had to use crutches, before he was able to get back into his dancing shoes. Years later in 2018, Craig had his second hip operation. Now aged 60, the ex-pro dancer appears to be fighting fit, insisting he has no plans to step down from his Strictly role any time soon!
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday (November 15) at 6:25pm on BBC One.
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