Duncan James has revealed he was “touch and go” after back surgery as he opened up about the difficulties of rehearsing ahead of Blue’s much-anticipated comeback tour.
The 44-year-old singer had emergency surgery for cauda equina syndrome six years ago and has previously expressed concerns about the rare spinal condition’s return.
The condition affects the nerves in the lower back and, if left untreated, can lead to paralysis or incontinence. He underwent surgery in 2015 to fix the problem after his leg went numb.
Health: Duncan James has revealed he was “touch and go” after back surgery as he discussed the difficulties of rehearsing ahead of Blue’s much-anticipated comeback tour
And the Blue band member has revealed he was “touch and go” post-surgery as he reflected on years of issues with his spine and back pain.
Duncan admitted he was doing much better after rehab but said he needed to take it a little easier with dancing on stage and said the band “burned out the candle at both ends” in their heyday in the noughties. have.
He told MailOnline: “I’ve had back surgery, it was a bit difficult to stay there for a while but I’m doing well with the rehabilitation. We used to light the candle at both ends.’
Meanwhile, his bandmate Simon Webbe opened up about getting older as they prepare to return to the stage in December following the release of their new album Heart and Soul in September.
“There’s a lot more knee-busting going on”: His bandmate Simon Webbe (center right, with Duncan, Lee and Antony) also spoke about getting older as they prepare for December’s tour
Speaking about perfecting the classic boy band dance moves, he jokingly said, “There’s a lot more knee and elbow cracking than there used to be.”
And Duncan said Blue – also consisting of Antony Costa and Lee Ryan – have never been great dancers but are lucky they still have the vocals to make a top-notch night of entertainment.
“We’ve never been great dancers. We’re not the Beach Boys. We have the vocals to put on a great show,” he added.
Blue have recently released their single Haven’t Found You Yet, which marks their first new music in seven years since the release of their fifth studio album Colors in 2015.
The band formed in 2000 and released three studio albums titled All Rise, One Love and Guilty before announcing a hiatus in 2004.
Moves: Duncan (pictured) admitted Blue were never great dancers but said they are lucky they still have the vocals to put on a top-notch night of entertainment
The group reunited in January 2011 and represented Britain in that year’s Eurovision Song Contest, finishing 11th after a performance of I Can in Düsseldorf.
They went on to release two more studio albums, their fourth Roulette in 2013 and their fifth Colors in 2015.
In 2013, they joined groups like Liberty X, Atomic Kitten and 5ive for a one-off performance as part of The Big Reunion.
But despite their seven-year hiatus, Duncan insisted it was a misconception that Blue ever broke up, saying they were still a band even during their hiatus.
“It’s a misconception that Blue broke up, we never broke up,” he said.
Together: Blue formed in 2000 before announcing a hiatus in 2004, but Duncan insisted it was a misunderstanding that the band (pictured in November 2004) broke up
The highly anticipated tour will see the band perform in cities including London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Brighton and Simon, 43, and Duncan said there would be some surprises.
They promised fans they’d be performing their classic hits but said they have some new and exciting things in store, but remained curious to see what they will be.
The tour – originally slated for September 2022 – was originally intended to mark two decades since the release of their debut album All Rise in 2001, but has been pushed back to December.
Discussing how things have changed since their success in the ’00s, Simon said they will have a section for their children on their upcoming tour as they are now fathers of a family.
Family: Simon revealed they will have a space for their children during the tour as he doesn’t want to leave his wife Ayshen and daughter Alanah (pictured in February) for long periods of time
Simon and his wife Ayshen welcomed their daughter Alanah in April 2021 and he said he has no intention of being away from his family for long periods of time during the tour.
The music manager revealed that his daughter would definitely be there to see him at at least one concert on her upcoming tour.
Duncan has 17-year-old daughter Tianie-Finn and the singer opened up about how the Covid-19 pandemic has allowed him to spend more time with her.
He said: “I had my daughter for six weeks when she was in summer school. I have to drive her to school every day.”
Lockdown: Duncan said he’s been spending more time with his mum Fiona amid the Covid-19 pandemic as he said it’s very special for him to be able to spend so much time with her
And Duncan has also been spending more time with his mother Fiona amid the pandemic and said it was very special for him to be able to spend so much time with her.
“I was grateful to be able to spend time with my mom, I hadn’t spent that much time with my mom since I was a kid,” he added.
Duncan also addressed his longtime friendship with Denise Van Outen, with whom he appears on Celebrity Gogglebox after her split from Eddie Boxshall.
Duncan recently admitted all blue stars used to have a crush on the 48-year-old presenter and he praised Denise even more when speaking about his best friend.
Friends: Duncan also opened up about his longstanding friendship with Denise Van Outen, who he now appears with on Celebrity Gogglebox after she split from her ex Eddie Boxshall
He gushed, “We’ve been friends for 20 years… She’s always been a sexy woman!”
Duncan said he and Denise have always been there for each other throughout their decades-long friendship and that he has been supportive of her following their recent split.
Denise left her partner of seven years Eddie, 49, on January 7 after he was reportedly caught having phone sex with other women.
After the split, Eddie admitted to sending up to 20 sext messages to other women behind Denise’s back – after she spotted the messages on his iPad.
Cute: Duncan said he and Denise (pictured in 2003) were both there for each other throughout their friendship and were supportive when they split
The star confronted Eddie about the news in November before kicking him out of their home, which he shared.
Earlier this month, she admitted her fears about the impact on her 12-year-old child, who she shares with ex-husband Lee Mead, who she was married to between 2009 and 2013.
Speaking on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, the TV personality said: “Kids have phones now and they’re at school where they’re going to be reading and listening to things, so I had to be absolutely honest with her.
“And actually, I want to be honest with her. I think it’s important to have that honesty with your kids.
Ex: Denise broke up with Eddie in a bitter breakup after finding messages he sent to other women during the relationship (pictured in 2019).
“There are still things that I probably haven’t said to her or that I’ve been holding back. There were moments when I was really upset and you don’t want your child to see you upset because it’s a terrible thing.
“But at the same time, she kind of has to know. I can’t just sweep everything under the rug.”
“As a parent it’s my responsibility to guide her through life and I worry that she thinks something is going wrong.
“That she’ll start dating when she’s older, maybe not with an open heart, and I don’t want that. It’s difficult there.”
Concern: Earlier this month, Denise admitted she’s worried her daughter Betsy might not be able to start a relationship “with an open heart” after splitting from Eddie