Emmerdale icon Claire King has previously spoken with remarkable honesty about the serious health condition that has quietly shaped much of her life away from the cameras.
A firm favourite on the ITV soap since 1989, Claire is best known for portraying the infamous Kim Tate — the ultimate man-eating queen of the Dales who has been at the centre of some of the show’s most explosive storylines.
From bitter feuds and high-profile romances to even faking her own death, Kim’s journey has never been short of drama. Over the years, the character has been romantically linked with Frank Tate (Norman Bowler) and more recently Will Taylor (Dean Andrews), whose tragic death last Christmas shocked viewers.
On screen, Kim has recently been fighting for her life after her horse Ice was spooked by shooters on the Home Farm estate, throwing her to the ground. Although Kim managed to survive the terrifying fall, her beloved horse was sadly put to sleep after suffering catastrophic injuries.
But off screen, Claire has endured her own long-term health struggles.
The actress has been open about living with rheumatoid arthritis, a debilitating condition she was diagnosed with when she was just in her twenties.
Speaking to OK! magazine, Claire admitted:
“When I was first diagnosed I was worried because I didn’t really understand it. I was so young.”
Thankfully, advances in treatment have helped her manage the illness over the years.
“They’ve improved treatments so much,” she explained. “My doctors are brilliant. I take various pills and injections every week and just get on with it. But there are certain things I can’t do at work — like wearing killer heels for more than five minutes.”
She also revealed that the condition affects everyday routines on set.
“The costume department has to do up all my buttons because it takes me ages. Doing my hair and make-up takes longer too, as I’ve got metal in some of my fingers.”
Opening up further, Claire explained how arthritis has forced her to step back from hobbies she once loved.
“I struggled to go to work and do things like horse-riding because of the pressure it put on my knees,” she said. “I can definitely relate to the phrase ‘invisible disease’. Just because you can’t always see it doesn’t mean I’m not in pain or completely exhausted.”
In another interview with Health Awareness, she described the early warning signs.
“My joints swelled up and my knees felt like someone had hit them with a mallet,” she recalled.
Making a heartbreaking confession, Claire admitted her darkest fears at the time:
“You think, ‘This is an old person’s disease — am I going to end up in a wheelchair?’”
