As X-Factor star Shayne Ward prepares to take to the road in May for his new tour, the 23-year-old is especially glad he has been given the chance to sing to his thousands of adoring fans once more.
The winner of the 2005 competition has revealed he feared he would never be able to perform again after undergoing throat surgery in Los Angeles last year.
Suffering from nodules on his throat - an infliction that has also hit Justin Timberlake and Rod Stewart – the Manchester-born hunk was "terrified" he would not be able to sing any more.
Unable to speak for seven days, Shayne has said his only way to communicate after the successful operation was using Post-It notes. "You don't realise how much you miss talking," he said.
Shayne is not the only X-Factor sensation to have been affected by throat problems. Leona Lewis, who has just become the first British woman to score a US number one since Kim Wilde 20 years ago, is currently considering undergoing routine surgery to remove her tonsils.
She has reassured her fans that like Shayne, her powerful voice will be unaffected by the procedure.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
