Michael Ball was left unable to walk after suffering pain in his hip that was “getting worse”. The West End legend, 63, had to miss several performances of Les Misérables while he was in “agony”, and explained to Saga Magazine that when he finally sought medical help he needed a full hip replacement.

He admitted that despite “intermittent” pain in his hip “for years”, he delayed seeking help from a doctor as he was “too busy” and had just finished touring the UK with his singing partner Alfie Boe. He said: “Then when I was in rehearsals for Les Misérables in Australia I was in a lot of pain. A cortisone injection helped but a week into rehearsals, I could hardly walk and was in agony, hobbling around on stage.

“I had pain medication, but you can’t take too much because otherwise you are away with the fairies.

“After a scan, I was told the ligament on my hip had severed and there was no cartilage, so it was bone on bone, and the bone was wearing away.

“My hip had to be replaced as soon as possible, so that was booked for my return to the UK.”

He admitted he “literally couldn’t walk” so had to miss two performances of Les Mis, but the hip operation proved to be a “game-changer”.

However, the recovery meant six more weeks of agony – and he admitted to watching The Traitors to distract himself from the pain.