13 August 2023 , 11:40
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Former EastEnders actor John Partridge has opened up about his private struggle over two surgeries that ended up changing his voice forever.
The ex-soap star, who is currently starring in feelgood drag musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie, explained that he was unable to speak at all for nine months after having cysts removed from his vocal chords - dubbing his recovery period "debilitating".
Speaking to Sunday Brunch hosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer on the Channel 4 show today, he revealed that he hadn't done a stage show or tour since 2019 and that he had been warned that he may not be able to speak or sing again after having the surgeries. He also revealed that his voice had changed after surgeons were forced to perform a glottoplasty after he suffered severe scarring on his vocal chords.
"I’ve not done a stage show or a stage tour since 2019," he told the presenters. "I had two surgeries on my vocal chords through the pandemic and it wasn’t guaranteed that I’d ever be able to sing or speak really again. Listening to Tom speak before about something that impacts you like that and makes you feel really grateful - I just got my all-clear last week from Guy’s Hospital that I’m fully fit, fighting fit and ready to go. But for me singing is like my seventh sense - I wasn’t able to speak at all for nine months and for me, it was like losing my sight or losing my hearing. I sing when I feel good, when I feel down, I sing without even knowing when you’re driving along in the car. It was a really debillitating thing."
John Partridge appeared on Sunday Brunch today (Channel 4)Quizzed by Simon on whether his voice changed at all, he replied: "Well, funny thing. My first surgery I had a cyst on my left vocal chord and that went really, really well but I healed really badly because it had been historic. My body didn’t realise that it didn’t have a cyst anymore. So when they took it away and packed it, my body went, ‘Ooh, what is that?!’ and pushed it out, so I scarred really badly. I had the first surgery during the first lockdown and then we got into the second lockdown and I couldn’t get back in.
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"So when I got back in and they saw it, I had what they call a glottoplasty. This is what happens when you go from male to female transition, it’s kind of the female vocal feminisation process where they slightly shave away your vocal chord to raise the pitch of your voice. So my left chord they slightly shaved that away so I got myself a couple more notes at the top. So I now have the voice I should have had [when I was younger]."
He played Christian Clarke on EastEnders from 2008 until 2012 (BBC)John first stepped into the world of showbiz after training in ballet at the Royal Ballet Lower School and went on to appear in a number of musicals - including the original UK tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats in 1988. However, his first big TV break came in the form of character Christian Clarke, the gay brother of Jane Beale, on EastEnders. During his time on the BBC soap, he was involved in a number of major storylines - most famously his secret relationship with Syed Masood. Both characters left together in 2012, with John briefly returning in 2014 for Lucy's funeral and again in 2015 for the show's live episode. He returned again briefly in 2016.
Since his soap role, John has appeared in a number of musicals and theatre shows and has made a number reality TV appearances. In 2014, he starred on BBC One's gymnastics show Tumble, in 2016 an infamous series of Celebrity Big Brother and won Celebrity MasterChef in 2018.