Inside Lewis Capaldi's traumatic health battle he thought would end career
Lewis Capaldi is best known for his superstar voice, but he has also been honest about his health over recent years.
The Scottish star has become a fan favourite for his funny personality but has explained that his career hasn't all been smooth sailing as he battles health issues as well. The 27-year-old has documented his struggle with Tourette Syndrome and how this has impacted his music career.
Lewis took a break from producing music to focus on his health instead but released his second album - Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent - in 2023. Here's a look at Lewis' traumatic health battle that he thought may end his career:
Lewis was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome (Redferns)Tourette Syndrome diagnoses
Lewis announced back in 2022 that he had been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. This is a condition of the nervous system which causes people to have "tics". Tics are sudden twitches, movements, or sounds that people do repeatedly.
The star has been praised by fans while visibly battling his Tourettes on stage as well as being praised for shining a light on the condition. When opening up about having the condition, Lewis said: "I wanted to speak about it because I didn’t want people to think I was taking cocaine or something," the award-winning singer joked.
Carol Vorderman takes rarely seen daughter Katie to meet Lewis Capaldi backstage
He said that his shoulder twitches occur when he’s "excited, happy, nervous or stressed". When sharing his diagnosis publicly, he said: "It is something I am living with. It’s not as bad as it looks."
Mental health
As well as being diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, Lewis has been candid about his mental health as a result of his career. He said his mental health struggles are a "direct symptom" of his chart-topping career.
Speaking to Rebecca Judd on Apple Music 1 show in 2023, the Scotsman said: "I think on this album in particular I talk a bit more about my mental health, which has taken a beating over the last little while. I'm managing it better now but I think in 2020 I was kind of glad when we got put in lockdown because I had done my first arena tour in the UK, and we had just done an Australia and Asia tour before that.
"I was in a bad way where I was just having panic attacks every single day on stage and I was just shy." He continued: "I still haven't quite got there, but it's interesting that this thing that you love to do and you've always wanted to do becomes something that causes you such distress, but such is the modern world."
Lewis went on to say that should his mental health continue to deteriorate, he won't hesitate about quitting music and his job. He said: "If I did another album and my head was scrambled and I felt horrible, right now I'm at a point where I can balance my mental health and how I feel in general.
"Not even just mental health, but the trade-off is worth it. I'll take a few panic attacks and my Tourettes and stuff for what's happening, but if it gets to the point where things get worse mentally and I stop kind of looking after myself in that regard, I think that would be a point where I'd be like, 'I'm just not going to do this anymore'."
Lewis added: "The main reason I got into music was to play live and if I'm struggling to do that ever, I think that's where I'm in trouble, because otherwise that's the payoff, that’s the point of doing it. At that point, if it felt like it was becoming something that I was not into or was causing me stress or I hated (it), then that's when I would probably pack it in."
Lewis has also been candid in sharing his experience with severe anxiety, and said he suffers from such painful episodes he relies on his mum to help calm him down. During a chat on Radio 2, he said his anxiety after drinking was so bad he had "panic attack after panic attack".
"I always feel anxious after drinking, but I’d really hammered it after a long time of not boozing, and my mum had to come down to calm me down – lie in bed with me," Lewis explained. He also said that his Netflix documentary, How I’m Feeling Now, helped him to realise just how bad his anxiety was.
Taking a break
Lewis announced in June 2023 that he needed to take a break away from his job to focus on himself. On June 6, 2023, he said he was going to take time out to rest and recover after a "mentally and physically" challenging few months - cancelling all shows and gigs he had been scheduled to play over the next three weeks.
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In a statement, he said: "I need to take a moment to rest and recover, to be at my best and ready for Glastonbury and all the other incredible shows coming up, so that I'm able to continue doing what I love for a long time to come.
"I need to take these three weeks to be Lewis from Glasgow for a bit, spend some time with my family and friends and do normal life things that are an important part of me feeling better." Lewis then returned to play on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival.
*If you are struggling with mental health, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email [email protected]
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