Did going back to Wales and seeing the life of his grandparents put his own success in perspective? And I understand why they did it. "To a point where I was smashing up rooms and throwing things out of windows. As the youngest of nine children growing up in Fleetwood, Lancs, he would listen to his mum sing Paul McCartneys Mull Of Kintyre as she fried cod brought round by Uncle Chas the fish merchant. Loose Women star lined up to be Strictly's first contestant in wheelchair, GMB's Kate Garraway reveals crippling cost of caring for her husband Derek, Stephen Bear 'broke behind bars' as his company is shut down before he's jailed, Mum identified after dead baby is found on heathland, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Suddenly I had something to aim for, I had a focus and a gameplan. Support our vendors to earn as much as they can and give them a fighting chance this Winter. You get to the other side, and you learn of the vulnerability of all of us. It went double platinum and topped the charts. When I look back I see there was a key person in my life, a terrifying lady who ran Surrey Youth Theatre. She has been caring for her mother . These thoughts whizz through your head as youre on stage. I was going potty. Michael went on to star in the equally successful Phantom of the Opera, but his career began to suffer greatly due to a health condition suffered by millions. He has entertained the Pope, the U.S. President and the Prime Minister - all this from a working- class lad from Salford, Greater Manchester, who left school at 16 to work 12-hour shifts in a. My parents came from working backgrounds, and became successful and middle class, and therefore were able to give us as kids the best they thought they could. He adds: I never put myself into any kind of class., Ball, 58, has defied labels, even if critics seem to have their own image of him. There are running costs associated with keeping this website maintained so if you feel like adding a donation there is a Donate button too. David credits seeing his GP as a reason for being alive. "I didn't have a sexual relationship for more than four years.". I wish it hadnt happened, but Im quite glad it did in a way. Ive confronted it all and talked to my folks about it. He said: I could go months without a drink, but then Id hit it hard. Ball never sought professional help, but he recognises the importance of it. You know you have to think of everyone at home.'. You can unsubscribe at any time. Its easy to knock something, he says of the snobbery he has come up against in his career. The dread that he might leave his two young daughters fatherless was his most pressing fear. The potential for a panic attack is always there for him. 'It was just me and the kids, a birthday cake and a few bits to eat.'. No reports confirm that Michael Ball has a brain tumour. For Michael being surrounded by family, friends and fans helped him tremendously. It was one of the most extraordinary nights Ive ever had in the theatre, he says. Does Michael Ball Have Brain Tumor: Is He Ill? He spoke out about his experience as part of Brain Tumour Awareness Week which runs from October 24 to 31. Alfie and Michael met when they were co-stars in a production of the musical Kismet in London. "A low mood may improve after a short period of time, rather than being a sign of depression," it continued. So when specialists told me there was only a tiny chance of the worst happening, I thought: "But I'm one of those people who defies the odds."'. Its been a long time., The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, was there; he was photographed with Ball who was, in Ednas pearls, handbag and wig, almost Thatcherite looking delighted. Yeah, I have been lucky., Balls mother is Welsh and his father is English. 'It's hard to sustain an international musical career, be a dad to two girls and keep a relationship going,' he says. The album featured some of the best-known songs from the musicals. They acknowledge now it was absolutely the wrong fit for me. Not a bad kid, but I just didnt fit anywhere. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter', Why half of India's urban women stay at home. An announcement comes over the public address system, welcoming the audience to the Coliseum and inviting them to start taking their seats. We get each other., Someone comes into the room to call him for makeup, and he waves cheerily at them. Even Alfie admitted of the crowd at his concerts: I once saw someone knitting, which is probably not a good sign.. Its recognising that youre on a spiral down, and how to stop that.. Physical symptoms can. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Anyone whos suffered from panic attacks knows how frightening they are. "It got pretty rough, pretty intense," he continued. Normally, Im warmed up and Im ready, he says with a laugh. got dragged along the floor," he recalled. Never Let You Go Michael Ball - The Wonder Of You (Live at Royal Concert Hall Glasgow 1993) 268K views 5 years ago Michael Ball wife: Singer shares why he has never married his long-time. I never used to, but Ive learned to smell the roses, to stop and go great. A delighted Michael said: "I never thought a baby was going to come Oddly, the sensitivity and empathy I gained from doing that made me a much better performer. and Ruth Ball of Bridgwater, Somerset, England. But suddenly, midsentence, his effortless eloquence deserts him. Michael Ball lost his wife to cancer and believes doctors should be bolder in accepting the potential for cancer being present in a patient. He was raised - it was an uneventful, protected upbringing - by loving parents. So I just gave it everything. He said that from the pressure it was putting on the optic nerve, it looked very sizeable. Although, he adds: We have people out there saying: Go and get help, and its all very well, but there has to be the help out there. A friend, he says, has been trying to get help, but is on a long waiting list. She made me feel That also wasnt something he had given that much thought to before. The advisory body estimates 5,000 lives could be saved each year if GPs follow the new recommendations. I felt I was making a legacy. The mental health charity Mind explained panic attacks are a type of fear response. 'There was one horrible night, at my hotel in Beverly Hills, when I looked in the mirror and could only see half my face. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. Our job is to make people feel comfortable and if youre not, you cant hide it, everythings out of kilter. As a struggling student, Alfie dropped a note through the stage stars letterbox asking for advice. By Richard Irvine-Brown, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Ball likes to say he has never been fashionable so he can never go out of fashion. And I realised I needed and wanted her in my life. The renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas announced on Friday that he would withdraw from performances for the next several months as he recovers from surgery to treat a brain . As soon as I get a job, Im thinking: What the hell am I going to do after this one? Ive got to learn not to do that so much. He really does have to go now. Michael Ball: 'My breakdown made me a better performer - and a better person' As his new show, Hairspray, leads the return to theatres, the singer talks about his mental health struggles, going. uncharacteristic moodiness and anger. So I did it. For example, you may feel worried and anxious about sitting an exam, or having a medical test or job interview. "It took over five months of misdiagnoses before we found out that our then 14-month-old daughter had an ependymoma brain tumour. Fate came knocking when a customer who Alfie has never been able to track down heard him singing arias as he worked. 'I booked to see a specialist at the Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, and within 20 minutes of examining me he told me I had a tumour. Read about our approach to external linking. Michael Ball turns his hand to writing Apr 5, 2022. He is an actor and singer in London, England. More info. It still sticks in my throat. He said: I was just a normal kid listening to The Stone Roses and The Charlatans. to a series of operations over four years and a reluctance to share with And if, like me, you have this inability to open up to people, you cant talk to anyone about it, and the demons take over. Cathy [ex-Ready Steady Go! cry for help. Your local vendor is at the sharp end of the cost-of-living crisis this Winter. His ethnicity is White while Cancer is his zodiac sign. Its quite often the way that children who are uprooted create shortcuts to friendships, and this was true for Ball. 13. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? And yes, its the naffest, worst gig on earth.And its live, with millions watching. I talked to Cath, I talked to other people and realised it was so common among performers. I think Im quite nice. Thirty-year-old model Mary Magdalene crowned herself the "Uniboob Queen" after her implant exploded. Until years later I was giving an interview and they referred to this seamless transition Id had from one success to the next and I suddenly thought, Im going to tell the truth about this. This year, he made Wonderful Wales With Michael Ball, a four-part series for Channel 5, in which he travels through the nation it is part travelogue, part homecoming. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter. UK #1 DVD (music DVDs, #2 overall), Contact Us | JBN - The Team | Home Saturday, 4th March 2023See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. "It took over five months of misdiagnoses before we found out that our then 14-month-old daughter had an ependymoma brain tumour. David Martin was diagnosed with bladder cancer about 15 years ago and credits his early referral and diagnosis for successfully beating the disease. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. Whether youre celebrating it or not, together or alone, rejoicin https://t.co/2xF80HNNRE, Ill be LIVE on @RealKenBruces show tomorrow with the @BBCCO for #R2PianoRoom Russell is one of Britain's best-selling artistes, sustaining a level of popularity that currently surpasses even Madonna's. ---. Michael Ball, an English musician, presenter, and actor, once struggled with anxiety and a mental condition that affected millions of people in the United Kingdom. "I didn't feel adequate to be with the rest of the lads running Aug. 6, 2021. Hows he feeling? Brain tumours are also called primary (which start in the brain) and secondary (which spread to the brain). 'I felt really out of kilter. Michael Ball and Alfie Boe's new album, Together Again, is out now. "Most people experience feelings of stress, anxiety or low mood during difficult times," certified the national health body. He is sure to be on his best behaviour otherwise the knitting brigade may just drop their needles in shock. Theatres, and the whole ecosystem around them, have been devastated by the pandemic. Im very impatient, and I like my own way. A smile. He and Angie broke down right there in the exam room. There's been no evidence of the disease for a year.". His first cause for concern was the excruciating headaches which regularly plagued him. Copyright 2021 ---. Back home in Hale, Cheshire, he left it until the night before the operation to tell his mum and dad, Nola, 59, and Tim, 60, his younger sister Hayley, 36, his gran and his ex-wife the news. He remembers going to stay with her, and she always encouraged us to do that old-school, make your own entertainment kind of thing. His connection to Michael Ball had an odd beginning. When we met we had an instant connection. But it never occurred to me I might make a living out of doing those things. People thought, maybe your times up. I just felt at home right away. Its the title of a song on his latest album, which he wrote. Michael went on to star in the equally successful Phantom of the Opera, but his career began to suffer greatly due to a health condition suffered by millions. But they still grow inside your skull, which means there's cause for concern. Shocking behaviour. But it was also a dark time. I have far ascended beyond every ambition my 16-year-old self ever had. Aug 19 Replying to @mrmichaelball Brilliant everything you touch turns to good my friend so I'm going to get it Michael Johnny shiver Her daughter Emma by former husband Hywel Bennett has just had a son, Album Chart Position: #3 He had been ill with glandular fever and, though he went back to work after about six weeks, he was exhausted. They were doing their best. We want to create that Christmas event, the family event that people can look forward to tuning into.. I thought: "I should see someone about this. I think she was always in love with me. Shes a bit older than me. That Monday I got a call to come in to meet with who would eventually be my Neurosurgeon Dr. Thomas Steineke (who did an AMAZING JOB). After several tests, it was determined that the Lymphoma was contained to my brain, and as a result, I have the diagnosis of a CNS (Central Nervous System) B-Cell Lymphoma. He left sixth-form college without A levels and became an apprentice at the TVR sports car factory in Blackpool, earning 100 a week. It had broken through the top of the nasal cavity and was growing in a figure of eight. "I love my home, I love the normality of my life with Cathy.". It will feature songs from the duos recently released third album, Back Together, and guests including Shirley Bassey and Gregory Porter. Michael Ball lost his wife to cancer and believes doctors should be bolder in. Probably migraines, he thought, and went in for an MRI, where he noticed a concerned look in the tech's eye. He felt unable to seek help, muddling his own way through. The breakdown, he says, made me a better performer, and a better person. One night, after going to Ronnie Scotts jazz club in Soho, he was sick over himself in a taxi and woke up face down on the floor in his college hall. He knows people might have thought about him: Oh, he just breezes along, its all absolutely marvellous. No, thats my act, thats what I do to survive. Meanwhile, in just four days he recorded the vocals for his album, songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Matt Monro, Nat King Cole. Speaking to the Mirror, he said: "You have thousands of people in front of you. Going back there and finding out what it was like to be a miner for my grancha he died because of it, he died from dust on the lungs it was a bloody hard life., Ball has had huge success, and, though he is undeniably showbizzy, he has never seemed grand. Particularly if a tumor forms on the brain stemthe place where your brain connects with your spinal cordyou may experience loss of feeling or clumsy movements. Years later, in 2007, Alfie ended up working with Michael when the pair appeared in an English National Opera production of musical Kismet. The truth about the plans popping up from Oxford all the way to Melbourne. However, working and touring alongside Michael has "been a lot of fun - he has a comrade, an understanding colleague, a friend. Connor. With his affable manner and his lack of self-importance, Russell is not hard to like. I was drinking lots of water, thinking I must be dehydrated, and taking my tablets. The joyless round of the clubs of Wigan and Salford continued. The TV and radio personality told her doctor she was worried she had a tumor after experiencing blurred vision and having trouble speaking. I have been truly happy, he says. I dont know that Im particularly easy to live with. In his 2013 autobiography Alfie: My Story, he wrote: I was part of a group of boys who decided to sleep with as many freshers as we could in the first week. Michael Ball, an English artist, medium, and entertainer, once faced uneasiness and a state of mind that affected a large number of individuals in the United Kingdom. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Alfie Boe, bad boy of opera, was once accused of scrawling the C-word across a poster of Katherine Jenkins, pictured, Alfie Poe grew up in Fleetwood as the youngest of nine children, Alfie would listen to his mum sing Paul McCartneys Mull Of Kintyre as she fried cod brought round by Uncle Chas the fish merchant, His dad died when Alfie was 23 but inspired his son's passion for music and played opera records, Alfie meets fans and signs copies of his new album 'As Time Goes By' at HMV Blackpool, Alfie during the curtain call 'Les Miserables' 25th Anniversary Concert at London's O2 Arena, As a struggling student Alfie dropped a note through Michael Ball's letterbox asking for advice, In interviews Alfie and Michael pair love to take the mickey out of each other, Alfie backstage at Les Miserables with cast Matt Lucas, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Michael Ball and producer Cameron Mackintosh, Alfie and Les Miserables co-star comedian and actor Matt Lucas, Alfie lives in Gloucestershire with actress wife Sarah and children Grace and little Alfie, Fantine has her teeth ripped out in gruesome scene in Les Miserables, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Entertainment & Recreation linktr.ee/michaelballobe Born June 27 Joined November 2009. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. As the weather cooled, the headaches grew more intense and were joined by spells of nausea. with all the girls. Fortunately, Michael has been a great "support" for him, as he too understands the business. Read about our approach to external linking. At 16 I left my boarding school under a bit of a cloud. I remember my first performance, right out of drama school, in the musical Godspell. SINGER Michael Ball has spoken of his secret sadness - he can never know the joys of being a father following a tragic accident when he was a teenager. And a lot of that was down to Cath. Glioblastoma, also known as or grade 4 astrocytoma and once known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is a fast-growing, aggressive type of brain tumor that forms on the supportive tissue of the brain. Sign up to our FREE Mailing list to get all the latest news on Michael! This is the website of the only official worldwide Michael Ball Fan Club and it is compiled with love and respect for a great entertainer. musical which still today attracts audiences from around the world. Advertisement. I loved surprising people, making people laugh. I could be funny. He was good at mimicking the teachers and doing impressions of things that had been on TV. Read about our approach to external linking. 'My first thought was for my kids,' he says -Rebecca is 12 and Hannah is six. Michael Ball and Captain Tom Moore likely to perform on Britain's Got Talent final His father, who was later awarded an MBE for services to the industry for his role as head of global sales at British Leyland, was keen on theatre and took Michael to see shows in the school holidays. She was wrongly diagnosed and the doctor ignored her complaint as, at 36 years old, she was too young to have cancer, he said, despite her mother dying of cancer when my wife was a child, and four of her sisters now having cancer. I was just starting to move into a new level of success Love Changes Everything really projected me into a different realm. But then for some weird reason, my agent phoned and said, OK, youve been offered a slot on the Miss England show. Of all things. It still sticks in my throat. It was gone the next day and I don't think such things should be ignored so thought I should get it checked by my GP. I genuinely didnt think Id be doing what Im doing. The Michael Ball Fan Club is now completely free of charge. He chokes on his words; tears spring to his eyes. ", Interviews have been amended from previous version. The 42-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in Hamilton District Court on Thursday by audiovisual link. They were both from working-class families, theyd done well and they thought thats what you did, you sent your kid away to school. And she doesnt give a monkeys about it. He met Helen, who swiftly became his wife, and mum to their first child. But the one constant in my life was Wales, and my gran and Mountain Ash [her town in the Cynon Valley], and I always felt a kinship with that., His grandmother, Agnes, known as Lil, was a huge influence on him as a performer. Like anyone, I can be up, down. The singer first met his love interest during an interview conducted by McGowan while he was working in the 1989 musical Aspects of Love.. Les Mis when he could not cope. It still seems shocking to us how long we had to fight to be taken seriously, and how obvious symptoms were overlooked time and time again by GPs and paediatric specialists, with no-one seemingly able to draw an obvious conclusion from a range of concurrent and consecutive symptoms. 'I like a laugh, a good time with my mates and I'm enjoying being single,' he says. sudden inability to speak. Image Credits: Classic FM. He really hit the big time though in 2010, starring as Jean Valjean in the 25th anniversary production of Les Miserables at Londons O2, with Matt Lucas playing the crooked Thenardier. Michael Ball and his partner, Cathy McGowan, have remained in a relationship for three decades. . We Are More Than One CD. More info. Were on a journey that does this [he makes an up and down motion with his hand] all the way through it. The equilibrium of his emotions remains fragile, but a month ago he could not have recounted events without the frequent punctuation of tears. That is why Russell feared the worst when he was diagnosed with a tumour. You try to be cool, and you learn not to share anything about your true self. Cancer had returned, and what had been an astrocytoma brain tumor had become a grade 4 GBM - a "terminator" brain tumor. Brain tumors can be malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous). Michael Ball, 58, is an actor, singer and broadcaster who first gained notoriety when he made his West End debut in 1985 playing Marius Pontmercy in the original production of Les Miserables. Three others with cancer still living in Ireland all survived, the first had a breast removed in 1995. Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Ken Bruce: 'I always wanted to be a radio presenter from about 15', Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' The emergency surgery he underwent last October to remove the tumour was successful. In the end, I threw my racquet across the court in frustration. I could be very entertaining. 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The ITV special, Ball & Boe, is their third together, but their first festive one. He is an unashamedly mainstream singer, with a legion of devoted fans, and also the man who played a no-cheese, no-chat run at the Donmar Warehouse, with an unusual repertoire that included Radiohead, Bowie and Joni Mitchell. Any emails sent to this website will NOT be forwarded to Michael Ball.. That proved youd done well and it gave your children a good rounded education. The 37-year-old star of the hit musicals Les Miserables and Aspects Of He has entertained the Pope, the U.S. President and the Prime Minister - all this from a working- class lad from Salford, Greater Manchester, who left school at 16 to work 12-hour shifts in a nuts-and-bolts factory. They know what they're doing." Lana (far right) had her tumour misdiagnosed by several doctors. NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, has offered guidelines aimed at speeding up cancer diagnoses in England. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. You just think: How to make a bad situation worse.. Michael Ball does not own, control, authorize or endorse it, nor is he responsible for its contents. In Stock. He has no idea how he performed as he was, still buzzing, still stoned, still paranoid, afterwards. 2023 BBC. 'But then you pull yourself together, have a bit of a cry. Physical sensations can build up quickly, and may include: They usually last between five to 20 minutes, but it's advised to "focus on your breathing", breathing slowly in and out while counting to five. Lil died a long time ago, but Ball met people who remembered her. 'It's a one-in-a-million chance that I'd come from the factory floor to where I am now.