Strictly Come Dancing's Joanne Clifton has spoken out about living with arthritis.
The professional dancer, 38, was diagnosed with the condition, which affects both her knees, a year after she lifted the Glitterball Trophy with Ore Oduba in 2016.
After leaving the show following the final, Joanne now admits her joints are sometimes so stiff she's unable to get out of the car.
The younger sister of dancer Kevin Clifton says she uses a gadget called the Car Door Mate to help her into the vehicle.
She explained she also finds it difficult to walk downstairs or downhill.
The star's osteoarthritis diagnosis sadly marked the end of her ballroom dancing career, and Joanne says the news hit her hard.
"I broke down in tears as dance was then my whole life," she told Daily Mail's Good Health.
"My knees would make crackling noises. I used to laugh about it, I didn’t realise it was a medical condition."
Ahead of her dramatic Strictly finale with Ore, Joanne said she was "a bit silly" with the choreography as she "put a great idea ahead of my own condition."
After her last dance, she said she 'hobbled' up to host Claudia Winkleman and was delighted to win the series despite being in 'great pain'.
During her diagnosis, Joanne was told the cartilage in both knees was being worn away and she’d probably need a knee replacement one day.
The star previously admitted that her condition made her feel 'old', but now she wants to educate people that osteoarthritis can happen at any age.
Despite her diagnosis, Joanne is still performing and currently plays Morticia Addams in the touring musical The Addams Family.
To help with her condition, she explained she spends her evenings with her knees wrapped in a specially designed hot water bottle.
This, she said helps her body to recuperate in time for rehearsing.
Speaking before the tour she said: "When I start touring again with Addams Family, if the stage sometimes isn’t flat, those are the shows when it’s going to hurt and my water bottle will come in very handy.
"I am still dancing but not as full-on as the competition world. I can’t really get up quickly off the floor any more so I either need someone to help me or I don’t go down on the floor and I stay up and do something."
Superstar Joanne was one of the most decorated dancers on Strictly being crowned world ballroom champion in 2014 and five times British Champion.
The Addams Family tour resumes on January 11.
