Roman Kemp says pal Lewis Capaldi's Glastonbury set was 'really sad to watch'

30 June 2023 , 12:18
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Roman Kemp says pal Lewis Capaldi
Roman Kemp says pal Lewis Capaldi's Glastonbury set was 'really sad to watch'

Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi, 26, delighted fans and viewers at home with his performance at Glastonbury festival but it was clear to everyone that he found the set difficult.

At several points throughout his performance on the Pyramid Stage, the music star battled with his Tourette’s.

Following his emotional set, which Lewis described as a “sh*t show”, the singer revealed on social media that he was taking a break.

The Someone You Loved hitmaker, 26, thanked the festival for having him and referred to the touching moment that fans joined in to sing his song when he struggled on stage.

He apologised to fans and explained that he had recently taken some time away from the limelight for his mental health but it clearly wasn’t enough.

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Lewis further explained that he was still learning to adjust to the impact of his Tourette's, adding: "On Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come."

Roman Kemp says pal Lewis Capaldi's Glastonbury set was 'really sad to watch'Lewis has bravely cancelled all of his upcoming performances to focus on his mental health (Getty Images)

He said that he was "so incredibly sorry" to everyone who had planned to come but felt he needed to feel well enough to "perform at the standard you all deserve".

His good pal Capital FM presenter Roman Kemp has now spoken out about how those closest to him felt watching their friend struggling and admits he thinks he didn’t have enough time off before Glastonbury.

Speaking to Metro, he said: “It was really hard to watch. It was really hard to watch. It was really, really sad.

“I'm proud of him. But I'm more proud that he's decided to step away. Because it is lovely seeing him up there, and it's lovely seeing the crowd doing it, but this is someone's life.

“When I saw him doing that he stopped being Lewis Capaldi and I thought, hang on a minute. That's my mate. And he's not in a good way here.”

Roman went on to say that he felt you could see him struggling and he knows that Lewis would have been upset with himself for not being able to enjoy the moment as much as he would have wanted to.

Prior to Glastonbury, Lewis announced that he had cancelled all his work commitments in an effort to "rest and recover" for the big event - however, he said that the three weeks off wasn't enough to "sort him out".

Just last month, Lewis explained his mental health struggles are a "direct symptom" of his chart-topping career and said he would be prepared to walk away from his job.

Speaking to Rebecca Judd on Apple Music 1 show, the Scotsman said: "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.

'So fed up of tiresome pal flirting with my husband and always putting me down''So fed up of tiresome pal flirting with my husband and always putting me down'
Roman Kemp says pal Lewis Capaldi's Glastonbury set was 'really sad to watch'Despite Lewis calling his set a 'sh*t show' he delighted fans and put on an incredible performance (PA)

"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 added: "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'."

Eve Wagstaff

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