0:00:11 > 0:00:15From the moment I started dancing at 13 years old, I was hooked.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19I pushed myself to be the best that I could be,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22and it has given me a wonderful career on stage.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26'And now, of course, on screen.'
0:00:26 > 0:00:29I only have one word, darling. Phantasmagorical!
0:00:29 > 0:00:31CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:00:31 > 0:00:33'Growing up as a dancer,'
0:00:33 > 0:00:37I relied on being fit, healthy, almost fearless.
0:00:37 > 0:00:43I could never have imagined that each time I moved or turned,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46or did the simplest thing, like going for a walk,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50I could be at risk of a serious injury,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54but that is the reality for the three million people in the UK
0:00:54 > 0:00:57living with osteoporosis.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01It's a condition that causes bones to become weak,
0:01:01 > 0:01:03and break easily with no warning.
0:01:07 > 0:01:13This is mum-of-four Nicky. She's always enjoyed being fit and active.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15But out of the blue, one night,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18as she bent down to pick up her baby daughter, Livvy,
0:01:18 > 0:01:20her life changed forever.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24There was a crack, a huge crack.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26My husband actually woke up, sat up,
0:01:26 > 0:01:28thinking it was the floorboards creaking,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31and said, "What was that? What was that?"
0:01:31 > 0:01:33I said, "I think it was my back."
0:01:34 > 0:01:38Nicky was unable to move, and in unbearable pain.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41An X-ray revealed seven fractures in her spine,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45and she was diagnosed with severe osteoporosis.
0:01:45 > 0:01:51The fact that I was only 39, and had, basically, a collapsed spine,
0:01:51 > 0:01:55it was frightening, because I honestly thought,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58"I'm going to end up disabled, in a wheelchair."
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Five years on, Nicky is able to walk, but lives in constant fear
0:02:05 > 0:02:08of breaking her incredibly fragile bones.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12You feel a sense of loss, I think,
0:02:12 > 0:02:17because you've lost all the things that you used to be able to do.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22I can't get things out of the oven. I can't dress myself very easily.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24I need help showering.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27'Livvy is now five.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30'When she sees her friends with their mums, and they're doing swimming
0:02:30 > 0:02:33'and going walking, and to the park,'
0:02:33 > 0:02:37and she says, "Mummy, you can't do that because of your poorly back,"
0:02:37 > 0:02:38I find that really, really tough.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Osteoporosis can rob people of their independence,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49mobility and quality of life.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51But it's not an inevitable part of ageing.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56The condition can affect anyone - old, young, men and women.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00That's why I am a patron of The National Osteoporosis Society,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02and am appealing to you on their behalf.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07They're a charity dedicated to improving the diagnosis,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10treatment and care of people with the disease.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Bob is 53 years old.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19His battle with osteoporosis began ten years ago.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Me and my wife were dancing on holiday,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and all of a sudden I felt this excruciating pain in my back,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28like somebody had hit me with a sledgehammer.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31I was absolutely screaming in pain.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35I collapsed and all the oxygen came out of my body, so I passed out.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Scans showed one of his vertebra had almost completely shattered.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Doctors told Bob that his osteoporosis was so bad,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48he had bones like an 80-year-old man.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52Forced to give up work, his world began to fall apart.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Everything went, within a blink of an eye.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59My world just became so small.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01I literally lost my status in life.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04I had nothing to talk about any more, and I became clinically depressed.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08There's days when I feel like I need a wheelchair,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10and I can't walk too far at all.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12I want to be able to walk my daughter down the aisle,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14not wheel down the aisle.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17That's my worry, my big worry.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18Sorry.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23There is a charity, however, that can help.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28The National Osteoporosis Society provides a wide range of services
0:04:28 > 0:04:32for people with or at risk of fragile bones,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35helping them and their families to learn how to manage the disease,
0:04:35 > 0:04:40and, importantly, how to prevent the debilitating fractures
0:04:40 > 0:04:41osteoporosis causes.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44If you'd like to get yourself onto the table...
0:04:44 > 0:04:49'A key part of the charity's work is to help support the early diagnosis
0:04:49 > 0:04:51'of osteoporosis in fracture clinics,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54'like this one in Ipswich Hospital.'
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Relax your leg and let the strap take the weight...
0:04:57 > 0:05:0259-year-old Daphne was referred here after falling on her wrist.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05I was walking my dog over the heath, near our house,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09and I tripped over, and I've broken it in two places.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12- Hello, Daphne. How are you? - I'm fine, thank you.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Good. I've come to have a look at your comparative scans today.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Yes.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19'Specialist osteoporosis nurse Sonia Stephenson sees people
0:05:19 > 0:05:23'like Daphne, who have fractured bones after a minor fall,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25'and can be at high risk of the disease.'
0:05:25 > 0:05:28I know you've struggled with the different medications.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32'Daphne's bone density scan confirmed Sonia's fears.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36'She had severe osteoporosis, but help is at hand.'
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Nowadays, if we can catch people early after a fracture,
0:05:40 > 0:05:45we can get them on good medication, improve their bone mineral density,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47'and the prognosis is then very good.'
0:05:47 > 0:05:52Some good news for you, Daphne. The treatment, we can see, is working,
0:05:52 > 0:05:54so we're really happy with that.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55Fantastic.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01Osteoporosis is a long-term disease, but with the right information,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04people can take practical steps to make a positive difference
0:06:04 > 0:06:06in their lives.
0:06:06 > 0:06:12With a specialist team of nurses, The National Osteoporosis Society
0:06:12 > 0:06:17offers vital, life-changing advice and support to everyone affected.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24It put Nicky in touch with a support network of other sufferers,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27to help her learn how to manage her condition.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29The more knowledge you have,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32the better I can cope with what's happening to me.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37When you actually have someone sitting opposite you
0:06:37 > 0:06:41that has the same problems, the same diagnosis,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43they've been on similar medications,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46it's brilliant to actually speak to someone
0:06:46 > 0:06:49that knows exactly what you're going through.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53As well as practical help,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56the charity also provides emotional support.
0:06:57 > 0:06:58They understood my pain.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01They understood why this had happened, that had happened,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04and they could just talk me through everything.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07The relief was just immense. I can't begin to describe it.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12'I just felt part of something again.'
0:07:12 > 0:07:13'I just felt as if I knew I had a crutch,'
0:07:13 > 0:07:15somebody I could rely on.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17They were brilliant. They really were.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21'I've got so much, with my family, to look forward to.'
0:07:23 > 0:07:25There he is, look. There's a big digger...
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Your donation will help The National Osteoporosis Society
0:07:28 > 0:07:31reduce the number of people suffering needlessly
0:07:31 > 0:07:36from the terrible impact that the disease can have on their lives,
0:07:36 > 0:07:37and those of their families.
0:07:37 > 0:07:44Please, go to the website, where you can donate:
0:07:44 > 0:07:49If you don't have access to the internet, then call:
0:07:49 > 0:07:53And if you can't get through, please, please keep trying.
0:07:53 > 0:07:59You can also donate £10 by texting:
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Texts cost £10, plus your standard
0:08:03 > 0:08:04network message charge,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06and the whole £10 goes to
0:08:06 > 0:08:08The National Osteoporosis Society.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Full terms and conditions
0:08:10 > 0:08:13can be found at bbc.co.uk/lifeline.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Telephone calls are free
0:08:15 > 0:08:16from most landlines.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Some networks and mobile operators
0:08:18 > 0:08:20will charge for these calls.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22If you'd like to post a donation,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24please make your cheque payable to
0:08:24 > 0:08:26"The National Osteoporosis Society"
0:08:26 > 0:08:27and send it to:
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Freepost, BBC Lifeline Appeal,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32writing "The National Osteoporosis Society"
0:08:32 > 0:08:34on the back of the envelope.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Remember, if you're a UK taxpayer,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39the charity can collect Gift Aid
0:08:39 > 0:08:42on your donation, worth another 25%.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Just send in a note to say
0:08:44 > 0:08:45you want your donation to be subject
0:08:45 > 0:08:47to Gift Aid, and include the date,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49your full name and address.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Thank you.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd