Gloria, inspired by a Duchess...
GLORIA Hunniford says she was inspired to help osteoporosis sufferers after talking to the Duchess of Cornwall about her family’s struggle with the debilitating bone disease.
The TV star recently interviewed Camilla Parker Bowles, 74, about the condition – which afflicted the royal’s mother and grandmother – for BBC’S The One Show.
She says the Duchess, who is president of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, was so “lucid” about the condition and informative about treatments now available it persuaded her to become an ambassador for the society.
Sufferers of osteoporosis experience loss of bone strength, making them more likely to suffer fractures.
The society supports research and provides a helpline for sufferers. It offers advice on treatments, exercise and lifestyle changes to help build bone strength.
Gloria, 81, who recently appeared on The Masked Singer and sang Big Spender while dressed as the character Snow Leopard, said: “Camilla was wonderful.
“She opened my eyes to the modern take on osteoporosis.
“She talked very lucidly about her mother and her grandmother, and the pain that they suffered.
“She watched them die from it and a lot of people don’t know these days that there is help.
“Yes, it’s a painful thing but there is a lot of stuff they can do now to strengthen the spine and things like that, so it’s quite important.”
She added: “A lot of people might think it’s all right for the Duchess of Cornwall to say that, she’s probably got access to great doctors and she probably has.
“But on the other hand, that’s why the Osteoporosis Society needs to get that message out to ordinary people.
“I think the Duchess of Cornwall is a wonderful spokesperson for them because she has such a vivid experience of her mother and grandmother.
“I thought she was amazing.
“Her mother was a really strong person and she just saw her diminish to this very frail person, hunched over.”
The TV star, who also presents Rip Off Britain with Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville, revealed there is no history of osteoporosis in her family.
But she added: “I am conscious of bones getting older. I try to do stuff like calcium in tablet form, to help keep bones as healthy as you can.
“I have always been active – I walk my dog and I rarely sit down, so I’m on the go all the time.”
She added: “I loved doing The Masked Singer. I’ve never worried about that age thing because I’ve always worked.”
And Gloria said she feels that Rip Off Britain – now in its 14th year – is needed more than ever today.
She said: “The lockdown and now the war in Ukraine has led to more and more scams coming to light.
“Mail bags for the TV programme are bulging. Police will tell you the scammers are always ahead of the game and as soon as you close one down there will be something else.”
The free helpline for osteoporosis sufferers is 0808 800 0035. Visit theros.org.uk for details about the Royal Osteoporosis Society.