James Arthur admitted he was “in agony” after last week’s Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards when he was rushed to hospital. During the party, which was an event that celebrated the nation’s unsung heroes, the X Factor winner, 35, performed his new song “Just Us.” Unfortunately, he had to leave the ceremony at the Grosvenor Hotel abruptly after being beset with an “extremely painful” kidney stone.
Arthur opened up about his ordeal to Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston on Heart Breakfast, sharing: “It started just before I hit the red carpet, I was all suited and booted, I started to feel this pain in my left…crown jewel shall I say. What have I done here? When putting my trousers on…have I caught myself?”
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In his dressing room, James described how the ailment got “progressively worse” and was “rolling around the floor in agony” as he dealt with the pain. He continued: “I loaded up on paracetamol and I can’t go home at this point. I’ve got to do this performance. I was in 10/10 pain.”
Arthur thanked Holden for praising him on his performance despite his health issues and disclosed that he immediately went to the A&E (accident and emergency department) to get an immediate checkup, saying: “I’ve got this guy prodding around my bits. They did a scan, found a kidney stone, so I’ve been on heavy painkillers all week. I get the operation to remove it tomorrow. It added a bit to that performance.”
Following his victory in the 2012 X Factor UK final, Arthur went on to release four studio albums, 34 singles, and 17 videos and became a household name. In his view, fame wasn’t all it seemed and was both a wonderful and terrifying experience for him. Arthur revealed he previously fought a long battle with depression when he appeared on This Morning in August, calling it a “pressure pot.” The singer admitted he found watching the video of himself winning the ITV talent show “triggering.”
Arthur explained via The Mirror, “It was the best and worst experience of my life. It was a pressure pot. I struggled in the aftermath. When I see that… it’s allowed me this incredible career. But it was traumatic too.”
Even though he had some difficult experiences with the music industry, the star was thrilled to announce that he will perform eight UK shows on his Bitter Sweet Love world tour. Arthur’s concert tour starts on March 5, 2024, and includes venues in Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Hull, Glasgow, Manchester, and London.
