Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has praised Queen Camilla for her dedication to raising awareness of osteoporosis, highlighting how dance can improve bone health. The 59-year-old choreographer, a long-standing ambassador for the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS), commended the Queen for her commitment to the cause, which she took up after her mother died from the condition in 1994.
Speaking about Camilla, who serves as President of the ROS, Revel Horwood said: 'Her mother suffered terribly and died of osteoporosis, that's why she wanted to become president of the charity. Since she has become Queen that really hasn't changed what she has stood up for all these years. It was her who inspired me to want to get involved as well. She pulled the whole society together.'
The Queen, 77, recently hosted a reception at Clarence House where she presented an award to the Sunday Express for its 'outstanding contribution to tackling osteoporosis and improving bone health'. During the event, she shared how her mother Rosalind 'died because it was never diagnosed in those days and old people were just cast aside', adding that 'had she lived nowadays, a lot would have been done about it'.
Revel Horwood also praised Camilla's dancing abilities, noting that 'when she starts dancing she lights up. She's a great dancer, she's fantastic.' He emphasised that dance is an ideal weight-bearing exercise that can strengthen bones and improve overall wellbeing, saying: 'It also releases endorphins, like any exercise does, and that's the natural happy drug. So you feel so much better.'
The ROS advises that the best way to maintain strong bones is through a combination of weight-bearing impact and muscle-strengthening exercises. Revel Horwood encouraged people to dance in small spaces, noting that 'you can do it in literally two square metres'. The Sunday Express's Better Bones for Life campaign has already seen over 400,000 people use its online risk checker, with 49,000 receiving an early osteoporosis diagnosis.
