WELLBEING
The next STEP
Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Joanne Clifton shares her experience of living and performing with osteoarthritis
INTERVIEW: KATE LOCKETT.
Coming from a family of successful dancers – her parents, Keith and Judy, are former world champion Latin American dancers and her older brother Kevin was a Strictly Come Dancing professional – osteoarthritis was not on Joanne Clifton’s radar. However, after being diagnosed in 2015, the former world ballroom champion went on to win the 14th series of the BBC1 dance show with partner Ore Oduba in 2016. Working with Arthr, a brand that designs products for those living with arthritis, Joanne is keen to dispel the myth that osteoarthritis is only for old people. “Don’t be embarrassed if you’re a younger person and you’ve got it,” she says. “It’s something so many of us live with and at any age.”
We caught up with the 38-year-old, who is starring as Morticia in the touring stage production of The Addams Family, as she shares her advice on pain management, tuning in to your body and nutrition.
Joanne, what symptoms led to your osteoarthritis diagnosis?