LEWIS CAPALDI has spoken in depth for the first time about returning to the stage – admitting he thought he'd never perform again.
The Someone You Loved singer says he's no longer taking antidepressant Sertraline after successfully battling his demons and has learned to accept he will always have some level of anxiety.
Lewis said: "I am doing much better. I'm not on antidepressants any more."
Referencing his new No1 single Survive, Lewis told fans during a live stream: "It was f***ing hard to get off it. You could say I've survived getting off Sertraline but let's not get into that. This is happy stuff. I'm trying to share less."
Lewis has linked up with online therapy platform BetterHelp to offer 734,000 hours of free therapy to fans.
The number represents his 734-day career break.
Data from BetterHelp's State of Stigma report reveals 41 per cent of UK men feel uncomfortable discussing their mental health due to fear of stigma, despite one in four experiencing anxiety.
Lewis went into detail about his troubling 2023 Glastonbury set, in which he couldn't sing after struggling with Tourettes and anxiety.
Lewis says the performance was a wake-up call after neglecting his mental and physical health for years.
He said: "I think I probably knew two songs into the set at Glastonbury that I couldn't do it.
"I was on stage and I was on complete autopilot. In my head I was feeling a thousand miles away and I watched it back and I feel sad. As far as I was concerned, I was done indefinitely.
"I didn't take a break to just focus on getting better. I took a break because I needed a break to release the pressure value a little bit."
Lewis added: "I was achieving my dream. If there was a film, I've got to the end and I've done it. But it's not how I thought it was going to be.
"The thing that I wanted to do the most made me feel the worst. Watching it, I just see someone who is completely not there and having the worst moment of his life.
"I was lying my way through therapy before.
"I was telling them what I thought they wanted to hear or things I'd read online, so I could get out of there as quickly as possible.
"I struggle most weeks to get myself up and go to therapy — even to go to open my laptop and talk to the therapist can be really difficult."
Looking ahead to a positive future, Lewis added: "I've felt the best I've felt in a long time thorough therapy.
"I think I will always be an anxious person. Accepting that's always going to be there for me is a a big thing. It's about how I respond to anxiety."
Dua a French fancy
DUA LIPA is all smiles as she steps out wearing stylish all black in Paris for Fashion Week.
The New Rules singer wore a mini skirt and top with leather boots as she enjoyed a holiday in the French capital.
Dua is currently on a summer break from her Radical Optimism Tour.
After huge shows in London, Liverpool and Dublin, she will play a gig in Kosovo at Sunny Hill Festival Park in August.
Then its off to Canada and America until the end of the year.
ELLA ENDS WAIT FOR ALBUM 2
ELLA EYRE has finally announced her long-awaited second album.
She will release aptly titled Everything – a decade after her hit debut Feline.
Ella has also announced four "intimate" candlelit shows across the UK in December.
She said of her new music: "There's been a lot of stop-start with my career. It keeps me up at night. But this album feels like something I'm really proud of.
"And the biggest cliches are sometimes the deepest truths: Good things come to those who wait.
"And even though it's taken a long time to get to this place, I'm really proud of where I'm at."
Hopefully it's worth the wait.
JESS HITS STAGE IN BURLESQUE
A STAGE version of 2010 musical movie Burlesque launches in the West End on Thursday and I'm keeping an eye on leading lady Jess Folley – who is destined to be a star.
Not only did Jess win The Voice Kids in 2017 and have a stint in girl band RLY, but she is now playing Ali in the West End production at the Savoy Theatre and has just released a solo EP.
There's no doubt she has her head screwed on too, having written original songs for the show that is being produced by Christina Aguilera, who originally played Ali.
And there have been no qualms about taking on the racy role, which she hopes will leave audiences feeling confident.
She said in an exclusive chat: "I'm not going to change myself for this role. I think part of Burlesque is empowerment, and the sexiness of Burlesque is people being empowered. In act one, she's not super sexy.
"Essentially, she's very sweet, very innocent. Having to go on that journey with her from act one to act two, it's taught me a lot about myself and my own sexuality. Hopefully people will come and watch the show and leave feeling empowered."
She's even more vulnerable on her debut EP 18 & Anxious, which she admitted was "never meant to be released".
Jess explained: "They were songs I wrote to send to a therapist, to get me out of talking in the therapy sessions.
"I would email these songs to basically be like, 'Hey, this is what I'm feeling now. Don't ask me about it'. It's about as raw as I could possibly get."
Fergie bridges 20-yr gap
FERGIE finally knows the difference between London Bridge and Tower Bridge.
The former Black Eyed Peas singer has reshot her 2006 video for hit single London Bridge, almost two decades after filming the original on the wrong one.
She appears in the video with Megan Stalter, star of Netflix series Too Much.
The video features in the new ten-part series, which is created by Lena Dunham.
Going all out, Fergie wears a series of eye-catching costumes, including a long yellow faux fur coat and a Union Jack dress.
She said: "As an American girl who once had her own adventures in London while filming the video for London Bridge, I instantly felt a connection to this project.
"So off we went to London to reimagine the original video – only this time, we did it right. Twenty years later, we finally filmed on the actual London Bridge."
I first told about the project last month, so it's great to see the final version.
KYLIE: I FEEL LIKE REAL ME AT LAST
KYLIE MINOGUE says she's never felt more like herself on stage than she does now.
The Padam Padam singer is in the middle of her epic Tension Tour – and admits the global trek has been "liberating".
Kylie said: "I've always struggled with the word 'reinvention'.
"For me, it's more like 'morphing' because I don't like boundaries. I'm an artist; I want to move and evolve.
"Looking at my career, each decade has its own style, and I make that public. But right now, I feel most like myself on stage. More than ever before. I'm not playing a role, I'm not trying to transport the audience somewhere. It's liberating."
During her latest show at Dusseldorf's PSD Bank Dome, Kylie surprised fans by adding 2008 single The One to the set list, as well as 2020 track Dance Floor Darling.
GRANGE Hill star Lee MacDonald is backing O2's sun safety campaign .
Lee, who played Zammo in the show, has previously faced a skin cancer scare.
He said: "O2's research shows we're glued to our phones, especially on holiday.
"So while scrolling, apply sunscreen and pay as much attention to your skin as you do your phone."
OASIS ARE STREAM OF THE CROP
OASIS's Spotify streams surged by 400 per cent in the UK after they kicked off their comeback tour in Cardiff.
What's The Story Morning Glory's Hello saw the biggest jump at 1,115 per cent, while Bring It Down and Fade Away were up by 1,000 per cent.
Spotify says Gen Z make up 50 per cent of the steamers, proving Noel and Liam Gallagher appeal to all ages.
There have also been more than 16.6million user discoveries of the band globally since the start of the year.
It comes as Oasis's 1995 album What's The Story Morning Glory? went 18-times platinum.
Only two others have done that in the UK, The Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's and Adele's 21.
SAM AND JILL KICK OFF THEIR PRIME-TIME PERFORMANCES
BRITISH Eurovision hero Sam Ryder surprised onlookers with an open-air gig to celebrate Amazon's biggest ever Prime Day.
The Spaceman singer performed along the River Thames on London's South Bank to mark the four-day online shopping event.
Yes, you read that right, despite being called Prime Day deals are actually available all week.
Joining Sam for the launch was former England Lioness Jill Scott who helped host a Uefa shootout where bargain-hunters could win prizes.
Jill said: "It's brilliant to see Amazon shining a light on women's football in such a fun and creative way.
"The new Women's Football Shop is a game-changer for fans, and I'm proud to be here to kick off the Uefa Prime experience. It's all about inspiring the next generation and making the game more accessible to everyone."
Ed art on sale
ED SHEERAN is putting some of his art up for sale.
He has joined forces with the HENI Gallery to announce the release of Cosmic Carpark Paintings.
The work is being sold to raise money for the Ed Sheeran Foundation, which helps provide inclusive music education for children.
Ed said: "I started painting at the end of my Divide Tour in 2019 and it's something I've used as a creative outlet ever since.
"When I was growing up, both of my parents worked in art, so I've naturally always been interested in it. I always enjoyed studying art at school.
"I was back and forth on tour last year, and I used a lot of my downtime in the UK to paint.
"I'd run to a disused car park in Soho each morning, paint, then run home and I'd do that daily until I headed back out on tour again."
On Friday, Ed will kick off the first of three huge homecoming shows at Portman Road Stadium in Ipswich.
Meanwhile, his eighth album Play, which features hit single Azizam, is out in September.
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