HRH The Duchess of Cornwall helps to break the silence on overlooked health condition in interview with Gloria Hunniford

Gloria Hunniford talks to HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, along with Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) CEO and a volunteer, to discuss why we all need to look after our bones

The exclusive interview between Gloria Hunniford and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, the long-standing President of charity the Royal Osteoporosis Society, took place for World Osteoporosis Day and aired on the popular BBC show Morning Live on Monday 25 October.

Her Royal Highness has been President of the charity for 20 years this year and was a passionate supporter prior to that, as a result of her late mother’s and grandmother’s experience with osteoporosis. The Duchess discusses her own experience of witnessing family members suffer with the life-changing condition. The Duchess also addresses why education and information is the most useful tool for living well with and preventing the condition, as well as her hopes for the future.

Osteoporosis is a condition that causes bones to lose strength and break more easily, sometimes even after just a fall from standing height, a cough, or a hug from a grandchild. Every day, someone suffers a broken bone (a fracture) every minute due to osteoporosis. ¹ The condition has a devastating personal, societal and financial impact on people’s lives – yet it is often referred to as ‘the silent disease’ because of under-diagnosis, under-treatment and low public awareness.

Presenter Gloria Hunniford, also spoke to Craig Jones, CEO of the ROS and Valerie Farr, who was diagnosed with a rare type of osteoporosis, known as pregnancy associated osteoporosis, after having her first child.

Six weeks after having her first child, in 2016, Valerie started to experience severe pain. She couldn’t bend over the crib, or pick up her baby son, she couldn’t change him, and she couldn’t get the buggy in and out of the flat. After a long journey of tests and x-rays, Valerie was told that she had fractured two vertebrae and was diagnosed with osteoporosis at the age of 40.

Valerie, who met The Duchess at an event hosted by Clarence House on World Osteoporosis Day, said:

“I felt let down that it had taken so long to get a diagnosis and I felt like there wasn’t enough information given to me about how to live with the condition. Aside from the physical pain I’ve experienced, the impact on my mental health is also very real – there’s big things like feeling guilty about how it affects being a Mum, as well as small things like not wanting to leave my house in ice and snow. We need a greater understanding of osteoporosis and bone health to help prevent the debilitating impacts it can have on people’s lives.”

The Royal Osteoporosis Society, the UK’s only national charity dedicated to bone health and osteoporosis, published the biggest study² for many years into life with the overlooked health condition on World Osteoporosis Day (October 20).

Chief Executive of the ROS, Craig Jones, said:

“The support of our President, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, has been our greatest asset in raising awareness of the importance of preventing and treating osteoporosis, since she has seen its impact first-hand in her own family.

“Osteoporosis is one of the most urgent societal challenges to living well in later life.  Our new report gives us the richest set of insights for many years into its effect on the lives of the 3.5m people who live with the condition.

“Whatever our age, we can pay attention to our bone health, which can help prevent the distress, social isolation, broken connections and spiraling NHS costs caused by osteoporosis. The disease is treatable and beatable. And if we take it on together, we can transform the experience of later life for millions of people”

Watch the interview on BBC iPlayer.