SINGER and TV personality Cilla Black spoke of the pain of losing her husband and her battle with arthritis today after picking up an award honouring her 50 years in entertainment.

The Blind Date star said the hugely popular show was her “lifeline” after beloved husband Bobby died of Cancer in 1999.

Cilla, 71, said: “Blind Date was my lifeline. It was 90 minutes when I could forget about everything, forget about the world.”

Read more: Cilla Black speaks of pain of losing husband and battling arthritis as she collects award

Standing at her shop counter, pharmacist Rosie Beaton was overwhelmed by a throbbing pain in one of her toes.
'I was used to aching feet from standing all day every day, but this pain was something off the scale,' says Rosie, 35, who lives in Glasgow with her husband Drew, 39, an accountant at the University of Glasgow.
'I had to apply ice packs to my foot in my breaks three times a day, and after a few days it was so swollen I couldn't get my shoe on - I had to wear trainers.'
The pain had started after Rosie bumped her toe on a chair twice in the space of a week back in 2010.

Read more: When a tiny patch of scaly skin is the first sign of arthritis and heart problems

For several years, John had struggled with breakthrough pain, inflammation, and a host of chronic problems related to the progression of his rheumatoid arthritis (RA). His doctor suggested that John move from using a COX-2 inhibitor (a prescription-strength, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID) to an opioid for better pain control. “This is the next step to help you,” the doctor said.

“But these are narcotics, and they are addicting. I don’t know that I’m ready to go in this direction,” replied John.

“There is a big difference between pain management and addiction,” said the doctor. “I’m prescribing these medicines to relieve your pain, not to get you high.”

Read more: Opioids: Won't You Get Addicted?