A BBC Radio 2 favorite has revealed how a painful health condition left them unable to walk and forced a major career decision after years of suffering in silence
BBC Radio 2’s Michael Ball’s horror health battle which forced him to quit career-defining show(Image: BBC)
BBC Radio 2 presenter and musical theater favorite Michael Ball has opened up about the debilitating health problem that left him struggling to walk and forced him to step away from major professional commitments.
Speaking to Saga Magazine, the 64-year-old revealed that years of worsening hip pain eventually culminated in a diagnosis that required emergency surgery.
Michael explained that the problem had been bothering him for several years, but became significantly worse while he was working abroad.
“I’d had intermittent pain with my hip for years and it was getting worse. I knew it needed to be seen too but I was too busy and had just been through a UK tour with Alfie Boe,” he told Saga Magazine.
The star then traveled to Australia to appear in Les Misérables, but found the pain increasingly difficult to deal with during rehearsals.
“Then when I was in rehearsals for Les Mis in Australia, I was in a lot of pain. A cortisone injection helped, but a week into rehearsals I could barely walk and was in pain and limping around the stage,” he recalled.
Although medication provided some relief, Michael said there were limits to how much he could take while continuing to perform.
After undergoing scans, doctors discovered the true extent of the damage.
“After a scan I was told that the ligament in my hip had been cut and there was no cartilage so it was bone on bone and the bone had worn away. My hip needed to be replaced asap so it was booked for my return to the UK,” he said.
Despite being informed that he would need surgery, Michael completed the remainder of his Australian race before returning home. He admitted that an unlikely source of entertainment helped distract him from the pain.
He said: “What got me through six weeks of pain was The traitors. Every day, between shows, we played our own version of the TV show, and I thought I can’t go home until I know who the traitors are.”
However, the condition became so serious that he was unable to perform in every performance.
“I missed two Les Mis shows because I literally couldn’t go,” he added.
Just a week after returning to the UK, Michael underwent hip replacement surgery, which he described as transformative.
He said: “A week after I got home I had surgery and it was a game changer. That’s when I realized I’d been in chronic pain for three years.”
Michael, who first came to prominence through Les Misérables and later starred in productions including The Phantom of the Opera, recently confirmed that his long association with Les Mis has now come to an end.
Reflecting on his recovery, he revealed that he has gradually returned to exercise and now enjoys regular walks with his dogs and at the same time make healthier lifestyle choices.
He also acknowledged that stepping away from production after more than four decades was a big decision, but one that felt right as he looks forward to the next chapter of his career.
