Gogglebox star Tom Malone Jr has shared an emotional health update, revealing he was rushed to hospital for knee surgery. The 31-year-old reality TV personality and professional dancer took to social media to inform fans that he had been unable to "dance and train properly" for the past seven months due to a bucket handle tear in his knee.
Tom Malone Jr's Health Ordeal
Tom initially thought he had torn his meniscus but only recently discovered the severity of the injury. After a lengthy consultation with doctors, he was given two surgical options, one of which could potentially lead to arthritis in the future. He told fans: "I'm not scared of going into surgery, but the hardest part about it all is not knowing what I'm going to be dealing with afterwards."
He added: "I know from the outside as a dancer, it seems glamorous, and you see the big stages, you see me flying all over to different places competing... but this is another part of the dance world that people don't talk about much, so wish me luck."
Surgery Options and Recovery
Doctors informed Tom that they would need to cut open his knee to determine if the tear is fully repairable. He explained: "The options are they either give me a meniscectomy, which they'll cut out the torn part and I can recover in six weeks, but I only have part of the meniscus, so I'm likely to develop arthritis. On the other side, they'll be able to fully repair my meniscus, which will be great long term, but I'll probably be out for six months, which isn't ideal."
He described the procedure as a "surgery lucky dip," saying: "I'm going to have no idea what surgery I'm having until I wake up after the surgery. Fun."
Fan Support and Update
Fans flooded Tom's Instagram with messages of support. One wrote: "Good luck, Tom! You will be back better than ever, and we will see you at Worlds." Another, who had a similar experience, shared: "Good luck. I had the same situation in January. Having an operation not knowing what would be done. My meniscus could not be repaired, so I had the damaged section trimmed. All good from six weeks after, but as you say, repair would have been their first choice."
On Saturday, Tom posted an update on his Instagram Story, sharing a picture of himself resting in the hospital with his thumbs up and saying: "Job done! Thank you, everyone, for the support."
