Ulrika Jonsson left struggling to breathe after breaking and bruising ribs

11 October 2023 , 14:33

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A broken rib has left Ulrika Jonsson feeling 's**t' (Image: Instagram)

Ulrika Jonsson has spoken of her torment as a result of breaking and bruising a rib. The 56-year old former Gladiators presenter took to Instagram on Wednesday to reveal the injury has left her struggling to sleep and feeling "s**t" due to the pain.

Addressing her 202,000 followers on her story, Ulrika wrote: "Turns out: broken/ bruised rib is also s**t for trying to sleep on (as well as breathing and generally trying to function). Not my first broken rib rodeo, I might add."

The mother-of-four also shared a selfie, in which she could be seen pouting into the camera in a plunging black vest as she laid in bed. Ulrika has previously opened up about another health battle - with arthritis.

Last year she revealed how the condition often wakes her up in agony at night and can also cause "brain fog". Discussing the degenerative condition, which affects both her hips, she admitted to the Sun: "The other night it flared up and I was lying there 3’o clock in the morning, this is so painful, it’s not every night but I would say I have pain every day, I’m so used to it as if it was a familiar pain.

She also admitted the lack of sleep can often see her mood dip. "I’m a mother of four, I first became a mum 28 years ago, I’m used to sleepless nights and disturbed sleep but that doesn’t mean that’s my preferred option and without a doubt, lack of sleep gives you kind of brain fog, you can be moody and snappy," she said.

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Ulrika told her followers it's not the first time she has suffered the injury (Instagram)

Ulrika also suffers from arthritis (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Ulrika added that her arthritis was "completely exacerbated by child bearing four times and various bits of exercise that probably weren't ideal" - so much so that she's been forced to give up running.

She admits the condition is something most people associate with older people even though it can affect people of all ages and spoke about how it affects everyone around you. While the star says she is worried about the condition getting worse, she is focussed on doing all she can to counter it, including pilates and correcting her posture.

Alan Johnson