Emmerdale star Claire King has bravely shared the details of a debilitating health condition she has managed for decades, admitting she will never fully recover.
A Villainess on Screen, a Warrior Off It
The actress, best known for playing the formidable Kim Tate on the ITV soap since 1989, has faced her own real-life drama away from the cameras. Claire has been living with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease, since her twenties.
She received the diagnosis when she was very young, an experience she found frightening due to a lack of understanding about the illness at the time. "You just think, 'this is an old person's disease, am I going to end up in a wheelchair?'" Claire confessed in a past interview, revealing her initial fears.
The Daily Reality of an Invisible Illness
The condition has a profound impact on her daily life and work. Claire described how her joints would swell and her knees felt as if they had been struck with a mallet. The pain was so severe it once prevented her from pursuing her passion for horse-riding and made simply going to work a struggle.
"I can certainly relate to the 'invisible disease'," she stated. "Although my symptoms don't always show, it doesn't mean I'm not in pain or feeling exhausted."
On the Emmerdale set, practical adjustments are necessary. The costume department assists with fastening buttons, a task that takes her too long due to reduced mobility in her hands. She also avoids wearing high heels for more than a few minutes and requires extra time for hair and makeup because of metal implants in some of her fingers.
Managing the Condition with Modern Treatment
While there is no cure, Claire manages the arthritis with a regimen of medication. She takes various pills and receives weekly injections, crediting improvements in medical treatments and her doctors for helping her control the symptoms.
"I manage it... and I just get on with it," said the resilient actress, demonstrating the same toughness her character Kim Tate is famous for. Her openness provides a powerful insight into the reality of living with a chronic, painful condition while maintaining a demanding career in the public eye.
