Ulrika Jonsson opens up about 'horrendous' periods of arthritis

Ulrika Jonsson has told how she goes through "horrendous" periods with her arthritis.

The former Gladiators presenter, 54, was diagnosed with the condition several years ago, and said she believes she is now getting close to needing a hip replacement.

The star told the Daily Mail she really struggles if she sits down for long periods.

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"If I've spent two or three hours in a car getting into London it's pretty tough," Jonsson said.

"It's like your hips seize and you have flashes of moments when you think, 'I can't move'."

The star, who has four children, can also have difficulties when she is in bed.

"Nobody likes to lose sleep it's so debilitating," she said. "I go through periods of time when it's pretty horrendous."

The Celebs Go Dating star now uses a special pillow that she puts between her knees to help her sleep.

"Maybe not the sexiest, but what can you do!" she quipped.

The TV presenter recently said she had suffered with the condition all of her life although she wasn't diagnosed until she was around 40.

"It can be miserable, but I have a high pain threshold, and because I have lived with it for so long, it’s so much part of what I am, you can’t fight against it,” she told the Express.

She also said that she has to work around the condition every day.

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The NHS describes arthritis as "a common condition that causes pain and inflammation in a joint" which affected people of all ages, including children.

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