Craig Revel Horwood, a Strictly Come Dancing judge since the show's launch in 2004, has spoken about his osteoarthritis diagnosis and praised Queen Camilla for her dedication to the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS).
Dancing Career Cut Short by Injury
Craig began his dancing career in Melbourne in 1983, enjoying a successful run as a performer before moving into choreography and musical theatre. However, a painful injury in 2013 dramatically affected his ability to dance.
While performing in Snow White, Craig suffered an injury that left him in crippling pain. "I assumed I'd ripped a ligament," he told the Daily Express. "I spent the rest of the panto run on extremely strong painkillers, a lot of massage and physiology and changed my high heels to lower ones. But it didn't get any better," he added.
Osteoarthritis Diagnosis and Hip Surgeries
Despite his efforts, Craig said the pain got "progressively worse." He was eventually diagnosed with osteoarthritis, a debilitating degenerative bone disease and a common form of arthritis in athletes and dancers.
"It's all those years of can-cans and dropping the splits. Classical ballet can be quite detrimental to your body," the TV judge remarked. Craig has been forced to have two hip replacement surgeries due to severe pain. The first was in 2013, shortly after his injury on stage, while the second was in 2018.
Queen Camilla's Connection to the Condition
Queen Camilla is more than familiar with osteoarthritis, as her mother died from the condition in 1994 at the age of 72. The Queen, 79, has been supporting the Royal Osteoporosis Society since then and remains its president.
Craig, a long-standing ambassador for the ROS, has previously praised the Queen for her commitment to the cause, revealing she inspired him to get involved. "Her mother suffered terribly and died of osteoporosis, that's why she wanted to become president of the charity," he said. "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."
