Sir Elton John made a rare and candid health confession to his fans, revealing that he’s “lost his eyesight”. The iconic performer had been at a West End showing of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ with his spouse David Furnish but sadly had to leave the production prematurely due to difficulties with his vision.
David guided the 77-year-old musician away from the venue amid concerns. This revelation comes in the wake of Elton discussing a recent infection which has left him feeling constrained.
Addressing the audience, he admitted: “I’ve lost my eyesight and cannot see the stage.”
He further explained: “As some of you may know I have had issues and now I have lost my sight. I haven’t been able to see the performance but I have enjoyed it. To my husband who’s been my rock because I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews… it’s hard for me to see it but I love to hear it and it sounded good tonight OK. Thank you for coming!”.
Elton previously disclosed that an eye infection, identified earlier this year, has hindered his music production. Sir Elton elaborated: “It’s been a while since I’ve done anything, and well, I just have to get off my backside. I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the south of France and it’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see, and my left eye is not the greatest. So there’s hope and encouragement that it will be OK, but it’s… I’m kind of stuck at the moment, because I can do something like this (an interview), but going into the studio and recording, I don’t know, because I can’t see a lyric for a start.”, reports the Mirror.
In September, Sir Elton informed his fans on social media that he was “healing” following the infection, although his recuperation had been slow-moving.
While speaking on ABC News’ Good Morning America, he announced ongoing talks about releasing a new album, with help from his enduring writing partner, Bernie Taupin. The father of two also shared the ordeal of losing vision after contracting the infection on his South of France holiday.
Sir Elton posted on Instagram in September: “Over the summer, I’ve been dealing with a severe eye infection that has unfortunately left me with only limited vision in one eye. I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye.”
Elton John expressed his gratitude towards his medical team and family, saying: “I am so grateful for the excellent team of doctors and nurses and my family, who have taken such good care of me over the last several weeks. I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery thus far. With love and gratitude.”
Following his health scare, the musician has made significant lifestyle changes, including being more mindful of his diet. He revealed that it had been a while since he last indulged in sweet treats, stating: “I can have an apple, I can eat a bit of melon. As long as you’re sensible about it, it doesn’t shoot your blood sugar up. But what I crave is chocolate and ice cream, I can’t have any ice cream.”
In an interview on Lady Ruth Rogers’ Ruthie’s Table 4 podcast, Elton shared his desire for sweets, saying: “If I had a death row meal, it wouldn’t contain anything except sweets, because I can’t eat them now. So, I’d have ice cream, donuts, apple pie, rhubarb crumble.”
Elton, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the early 2000s, has faced various health challenges in recent years.
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