Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood is to undergo a second hip replacement operation this week, after having his first one in 2013.
A representative for the dancer confirmed to The Mirror: “He is indeed having his second hip replacement operation this week.”
Craig has frequently spoken out about how his rigorous dance routines have had a ‘detrimental’ effect on his body over time.
“It’s all those years of can-cans and dropping the splits. Classical ballet can be quite detrimental to your body,” he once told BBC Breakfast.
He underwent his first hip replacement operation in 2013, and the gruelling recovery process saw him bound to a wheelchair, followed by crutches, before he was able to get back into his dancing shoes.
The formidable judge revealed how he has been living in pain after the hip that is due to operated on initially swelled up last summer, but he was reluctant to undergo surgery then due to his work commitments.
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Craig, 52, was initially due to have the surgery last year, which he hopes will relieve his chronic pain, but after his panto stint in Southhampton, Craig was reluctant to miss last year’s Strictly, too.
He was then offered to entertain on a Strictly-themed cruise around the Mediterranean, which he has just returned from.
It’s thought that his operation could be similar to the one he underwent in 2013, when he has his hip ‘resurfaced’ and relined with metal.
An MRI scan and X-Ray at the time uncovered that he suffered from severe osteoarthritis – a joint disease which results from the break down of joint cartilage, and causes joint pain and stiffness.
Craig is also an ambassador for The National Osteoporosis Society, alongside Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, after his mother suffered from the bone disease.
Relishing in his ‘fantastic’ new titanium hip back in 2013, the Strictly star quipped at the time, “I wish I could have my whole body made of it!”
And if there’s anyone who can pull-off crutches with style, it’s Craig. In 2013, following his first op, he attended the Coats and Collars Ball wearing a pink satin jacket accessorised with a bejewelled walking stick.
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It’s thought that Craig will be fit and well for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, and the naughty judge has already been causing a stir.
“Strictly will be better without Brendan [Cole]” he told The Mirror of the Strictly dancer, who was axed from the show in January.
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