The 73-year-old, who appeared on the TV cooking series in 2016, was diagnosed with the illness at just 55.
To continue with her passion she has had to redesign the kitchen at her home in Yeovil, Somerset, all because of the debilitating disease.
Val, who has had a hip replacement and several fractures, admits she is “fighting” to live a normal life.
She suffers from osteoporosis in her neck and the base of her spine, meaning she slouches and has to remember to hold her head back.
She has found baking helps with her posture, encouraging her to stand tall – although any detailed work like icing a cake can cause pain.
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The baker, who has also released a recipe book, The Cake Whisperer, explained: “Getting up and down out of a chair is uncomfortable.
“I had to redesign my kitchen as reaching into cupboards was increasingly difficult. Now I have drawers instead. It cost a lot, but it was worth it so I can be in the kitchen.”
Val first broke her wrist in 2003 and went on to break other bones because of the disease. She is now on medication to halt the condition and hopefully improve bone density.
“Osteoporosis is life changing,” she said. “It is a whole rethink. I used to run every day but I became frightened in case I fell again.
“It changes your mindset. It is there all the time – I’m thinking, ‘I better not do that, just in case’.
“I may have to finish in a wheelchair if the base of my spine goes completely.
“I just hope that medical knowledge is better by the time I get there.”
Val is backing the Sunday Express Better Bones campaign, run with the Royal Osteoporosis Society. She is also an ROS ambassador.
She said: “It is absolutely vital that when hospitals receive someone with a break, all those over 50 are checked for bone density because the cost of not doing so is so great.”
Our campaign is calling on the Government to give an extra £30million each year to Fracture Liaison Services across the UK, with all over-50s having access to these specialist clinics. More than 800 medics and 250 parliamentarians have backed the campaign.
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