Adam Thomas admits he is 'really suffering' as he battles unexpected arthritis symptom

Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Adam Thomas has been keeping fans up to date with his arthritis journey after being diagnosed last year and has asked them for advice

Adam Thomas has revealed he is battling an unexpected side effect of his arthritis - and has turned to his fans for advice.

The 36-year-old soap actor - who has appeared in Waterloo Road and Emmerdale - was diagnosed with the chronic autoimmune disease last year. While he has been updating his fans online about his treatment and life with the condition, he confessed this week that he is struggling with some symptoms.

The TV star - who was a contestant on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing last year soon after his diagnosis - has been left with an itching scalp. Unsure how to combat the side effect, he took to social media on Thursday to ask for some tips.

Sharing a black and white image of himself seemingly scratching his head, the star wrote on Instagram: "My arthritis journey: Ok I need help!!!! So with the arthritis that I’ve got which psoriatic arthritis one of the symptoms that comes with this is a skin condition called psoriasis!

"It used to be all over my body and face still is on places but really suffer with it on my scalp. I’ve tried absolutely everything ! If anyone has had this or got this and can recommend any shampoos or creams to help preferably natural I would really appreciate it thank you."

Fans, friends and fellow celebrities were quick to take to the comments section to offer Adam their wisdom, with Emily Atack writing: "Steroid cream from the docs!!! Worked WONDERS for me. You comb it into your hair like a leave in conditioner. I’ll send you a pic of it." While Beauty blogger Zoe Johnson wrote: "Coconut oil and a drop of peppermint left on overnight saves the day for mine."

While one fan wrote: "I had really bad psoriasis in my scalp too, was under dermatology.. the only shampoos that worked were Nizarol, polytar or tgel. Out of all of them I would say polytar was the best!" and another typed: "Body shop Ginger shampoo is a game changer!"

Adam first shared details of his arthritis diagnosis in August last year. He revealed online at the time: “As much as I act like a kid, my body is telling another story… I’ve been in a lot of pain since January. It started with my knees and then travelled to my wrists, fingers and now ankles and toes.”

He explained: “I never knew what was happening and finally after several blood tests and back and forth to doctors and hospitals, I’ve been diagnosed with rheumatoid Arthritis! I thought that was something people, later on in there life get… but that’s not the case, clearly!"

He added: "It’s been a tough old year but … Finally I’m on the right plan now! Finally getting it under control. For now... But some days are better than others and am not going to lie, it’s been hard not being able to train properly, it’s has had a huge knock on effect for me personally."

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