NICKI Chapman has revealed she’s had a FOURTH operation on her foot as she shared a snap from her hospital bed.
The TV host, 59, best known for presenting Escape to The Countryside, Pop Idol and Wanted Down Under, took to Instagram to post a health update with her 160k followers.
In one picture she put her thumb up as she pointed at her boot while in hospital, followed by another of her out and about in London with a walking stick for support.
She captioned the post: “Every little step.
“Slowly getting there & managed to walk to the end of the road. Result! Note snazzy stick mainly to keep people away from my foot!
“Fourth op over the years – never gonna make Strictly Come Dancing nor run a marathon but grateful for each tweak keeping me mobile & pain free.
“Thanks for your lovely get well messages. N x.”
Her fans rushed to the comments section to share the love.
One said: “Hope you recover quickly and back on your feet very soon xx.”
Another wrote: “Wishing you a speedy recovery.”
“Get well soon Nicki,” a third chimed in.
A fourth added: Slowly, slowly… You’ll be there in no time xx.”
Nicki has gone through a number of health battles over the years, including a brain tumour diagnosis in 2019.
She’s also had problems with her ankle since she was 15 and was diagnosed with ankle spurs.
The NHS website describes it as: “Osteophytes (bone spurs) are bony lumps that grow on the bones in the spine or around joints. They form when a joint or bone has been damaged by arthritis, but do not always cause problems.”
Nicki previously recalled: “I started getting pains that felt like I’d twisted it – I couldn’t work out what I’d done.
“It was so sore I went to my doctor and was referred to a consultant who diagnosed ankle spurs. Bone spurs are tiny pointed outgrowths of bone which occur where the normal bone keeps growing.
“They were causing a restriction within my ankle, which became inflamed and excruciatingly painful.
“I had an operation to remove them, and remember my consultant warning me against pursuing any career involving standing up – otherwise I’d have serious problems by the time I was 30.
“I’d always wanted to be a theatrical make-up artist, which involves lots of standing, so my career dreams were shattered. But I followed his advice because looking after my wellbeing was paramount.”
20 years later Nicki had to have a second operation, and underwent surgery for a third time in 2015.