Sciatica can be chronic and debilitating, but nothing holds back the Northern Irish TV and radio presenter Gloria Hunniford

Always in demand, Gloria Hunniford has appeared on countless TV and radio programmes and was the first woman to have her own daily show on BBC Radio 2. Today she is a regular fixture on Loose Women and Rip Off Britain and constantly has something exciting in the pipeline.

Unsurprisingly, the restrictions of the coronavirus lockdown were frustrating for Gloria Hunniford.

“To start with I was a little like a caged animal as I have worked since I was about seven years old and am continually on the go,” she remembers. “Being from Northern Ireland, I have a strong work ethic and it was hard to get used to such a different routine. But after a couple of weeks, my husband Stephen and I fell into a more relaxed lifestyle that we enjoyed. The weather was wonderful and we spent most of our days gardening, seeing my sons and grandchildren outdoors when restrictions eased.

“Stephen had some serious health issues in 2019 and I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes a few years ago so we actually locked down a little before it became an official requirement.”

Making changes

When Gloria was told she was on the cusp of diabetes she took her health into her own hands.

“I cut down on my intake of carbohydrate and sugar and within a short period of time had lost two stone,” she explains. “I eat well, exercise and have an abundance of fresh air. My sugar levels are now normal and there comes a point when I feel I’m being sensible, doing all I can and it’s time to just get on with it.”

Gloria is similarly proactive when it comes to learning about which vitamins and supplements can boost her health.

“Since coronavirus reared its head, I’ve been making sure I take enough vitamin C, vitamin D and supplements that promote my immune system,” she says. “When I worked on Radio 2, I interviewed a well-known naturopath and homeopathic doctor, Jan de Vries, a few times and he taught me what all the different vitamins do.

“Arthritis runs in my family and Jan suggested supplements that could help my mother and foods she should consider cutting out, such as tomato, lemon, coffee and white wine. She took what her doctor recommended as well, but advice from Jan de Vries made a big difference to her health.”

Arthritis

Whilst Gloria’s mother was affected by osteoarthritis, two of her male relatives have inflammatory forms of arthritis, reminding us that arthritis can affect people of any age.

“One young man has rheumatoid arthritis and it was recommended he lose weight to ease the pressure on his joints; he’s finally on a drug that is making a difference to his symptoms,” Gloria outlines. “The other has arthritis in the shoulder, which is so bad that he needs a shoulder replacement operation.”

Surgery

And Gloria knows exactly what shoulder surgery involves, having had hers pinned in her late forties.

“I used to play a lot of tennis and in 1989 had a bad fall, smashed my shoulder in 15 places and broke my upper arm bone,” she says. “Back then shoulder surgery was in its infancy but I managed to contact one of two surgeons in the UK who could operate. He stapled the ball and socket joint, which was extremely successful. The other bone, however, did not fare so well and the surgeon suggested further operations. But Jan de Vries advised I take a supplement called Urticalcin that promotes bone fracture healing and I made a full recovery.”

Sciatica 

Without doubt Gloria is lucky that her shoulder joint has not been subsequently affected by arthritis in recent years, but she is no stranger to physical pain. “My sciatica can be chronic and debilitating, a shooting pain that travels down my legs to my shins,” she outlines. “Steroid injections into my spine do relieve the pain to an extent but the pandemic means I haven’t been able to have these. I manage as best I can and try not to take painkillers unless I absolutely have to.

“Since having sciatica I notice I move more slowly, and find myself looking down when I walk in case I trip on a rogue piece of pavement. I was anxious that it was something more sinister than sciatica, perhaps osteoporosis, but have been fully checked so I know exactly what I am dealing with.”

Kindness

Anxiety levels around the world have soared since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I have to keep abreast of current affairs for my work but when it is particularly gloomy I won’t watch the late night news before bed or I find it can be hard to sleep,” Gloria says.

“Along with anxiety, loneliness is one of the biggest problems we have in the UK, which is why so many people fall victim to scammers, who can come across as being so charming and affable. Communities did come together during the pandemic but we all know someone who is still in a vulnerable position and it’s important to continue to be kind. After all, it doesn’t take much to have a cup of tea and catch up in somewhere like the garden.”

Gloria Hunniford image credit: Alan Olley

First published 2020

PS Did you know that Arthritis Digest Magazine is labelled the best UK Arthritis blog from thousands of blogs on the web ranked by traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness?