Strictly star sparks concern as he reveals he is in ‘the worst pain ever’ with excruciating health condition
STRICTLY Come Dancing star Ugo Monye has sparked concern after revealing he is in "the worst pain".
The English Rugby Union star, 40, took to social media to beg fans for help and warned them to look after themselves.
Ugo, who took part in the 2021 series of the BBC dance competition and was paired with Oti Mabuse, wrote on instagram: "Kidney stones... The worst pain I've ever felt."
He added: "Stay hydrated out there people", suggesting he had made them worse by not drinking enough.
Ugo added a vomiting and crying emoji, as well as prayer hands.
He also asked fans for advice, adding a question box saying: "Anyone else had this??! Pain level 100."
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Kidney stones are masses made of salt and minerals, and can be anywhere between a grain of salt and a golf ball in size.
There are several different types, calcium stones, struvite stones, uric acid stones and cystine stones.
Kidney stones are incredibly painful, with many sufferers claiming that the experience is one they will never forget.
The stones have potential to cause severe pain, and while most pass on their own through the ureter - the tube between the kidney and the bladder - some require to be medically removed with surgery.
This is not Ugo's first brush with bad health - back when he was on Strictly, he was forced to miss one Saturday's performance after being rushed to hospital for emergency back surgery.
He announced back in October 2021: : "Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to dance this weekend on the show. I have a history of back problems which has always been managed under the guidance of medical professionals.
";Unfortunately this has been causing me some unwanted problems this week."
Days later he shared a snap from his hospital bed after undergoing an operation.
While Ugo returned to the dancefloor, his journey on the show was not to last.
What are the symptoms of kidney stones?
Contact a medical professional if you are suffering from any of the following symptoms:
- Severe pain in the side and back, below the ribs
- Pain that radiates to the lower abdomen and groin
- Pain that comes in waves and fluctuates in intensity
- Pain on urination
- Pink, red or brown urine
- Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
- Nausea and vomiting
- Persistent need to urinate
- Urinating more often than usual
- Fever and chills if an infection is present
- Urinating small amounts
Later that same month, he and Oti were sent packing from the show after receiving the lowest number of judges votes in the dance off against Rhys Stephenson and Nancy Xu.
Rhys and Ugo landing in the bottom two sparked a race row at the time, as Rhys had been consistently near the higher end of the leaderboard.