Waterloo Road legend Adam Thomas has spoken about his ‘hope’ for the future after a lifestyle change has helped him battle an autoimmune disease.
The 36-year-old soap star revealed he had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis while he was taking part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2023.
He has since been sharing updates with fans on social media after suffering months of pain, and even being left unable to walk at points.
Adam has now revealed he’s following a new diet which appears to have helped him.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain earlier this month, he explained: ‘I’ve been struggling with this autoimmune disease now for about two and a half years.
‘It’s been tough. I’m not over-exaggerating when I say this, for two and a half years, everyday I’ve been in pain.
‘It’s difficult, but now, I’ve been on so many different meds and trying so many different things, back and forth from hospitals, I’ve now found a bit of hope within the carnivore diet which I’m doing at the minute.
‘And I’ve noticed a huge difference, especially within the last couple of weeks.
‘It’s given me a bit of hope now, I feel like the inflammation has gone down a bit and I’m getting my life back, which is the most important thing.’
Adam went on to talk about how he feels his father may have also suffered from the same disease, because he was ‘constantly’ in pain.
‘We’re getting better, I can see light at the end of the tunnel now, and I feel the best way I’ve felt for a while,’ he added.
Talking about his new diet, Adam explained he’s eating just meat and eggs.
‘That’s all I’ve been having for the past six or seven weeks now,’ he said.
‘No vegetables, no sugar, no carbs, no nothing,’ he added.
‘It’s working for me, I wouldn’t advise other people to do it, everyone is on their own journey, I’m definitely on mine and that’s what I’m doing at the minute.
‘It’s the first thing that has given me a little bit of hope in two and a half years.’
His update comes weeks after Adam shared his fear of potentially being on medication for the rest of his life.
‘You have good days and bad days’, he explained during an appearance on This Morning last month, saying he had also been impacted with psoriasis, a skin condition affecting his body and scalp.
As he went on to discuss finding the right medication for him, Adam also noted: ‘Everyone’s different and everyone’s bodies are different. What might work for some people, might not work for you.
‘The medication was tough and also the side effects. I was on some medication which was like a short dose of chemotherapy and, as you can imagine, the side effects to that were really challenging.’
The former Emmerdale star shared the new medication he had been prescribed, saying: ‘Whilst I was on it, it just got me thinking, am I really going to be on medication for the rest of my life?!! There has to be a better way…
‘Can I beat this without medication?…. so that’s what I’m going to do!! Well at least try too! I’ve decided to put my meds on hold for a while, as I explore trying to fight my autoimmune disease the natural way!’
At the time, the Donte Charles actor said he was unsure if it would work but wanted to ‘give it a go’.
If all else fails then I will turn back to my meds, but for now this Is the route I’m going to take,’ he added, warning his followers that this was his own journey and he wouldn’t advise them to do the same.
In October, the dad-of-two had said he was checking into hospital as his pain had got ‘a lot worse’ and he couldn’t ‘carry on like this’, revealing he could ‘barely walk’, his fingers and wrists felt ‘broken’ and he couldn’t even dress himself.
What is rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. The condition usually affects the hands, feet and wrists.
Sometimes symptoms can ‘flare up’ and become worse, which can be difficult to predict.
With treatment it’s possible to decrease how much this happens and minimise or prevent long-term damage to the joints.
Other more general symptoms include tiredness and weight loss.
Diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis early on is important, as early treatment can help reduce the risk of joint damage.
It is an autoimmune disease, which means your immune system mistakenly attacks cells which line your joints, leading to pain, swelling and stiffness.
Over time it can affect not only joints and cartilage, but also bone.
While there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, early diagnosis and treatments can allow sufferers months or even years between flare-ups.
Medicine, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy help keep people mobile, and surgery may be required to help any joint problems that may develop.
Depending on the severity of your arthritis, people may be forced to adapt how they do every day tasks.
Complications include the potential of rheumatoid arthritis to lead to other conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, inflammation of other parts of the body (eyes, lungs, heart), and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
The NHS describes rheumatoid arthritis as a ‘long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints’ with the main affected areas being the hands, feet and wrists.’
There is no cure, but early diagnosis and treatment can prevent ‘flare-ups’ from being a common occurrence. However, depending on the severity of the pain, stiffness, and swelling, sufferers might find overcoming everyday tasks more of a challenge, and have to adapt accordingly.
