Jess Glynne cancels Forest Live show at Cannock Chase over vocal cord injury
Singer Jess Glynne has been forced to cancel all her upcoming shows – including a performance at Cannock Chase next weekend – after haemorrhaging her vocal cords.
The 29-year-old was due to perform a sold out gig at Cannock Chase on Friday, July 5, but has had to pull out at the last minute on her surgeon's advice.
Bosses at Forestry England have said the concert will not be rescheduled – and ticket holders will be contacted to arrange refunds.
The popular singer was due to perform as part of the Forest Live weekend at the Staffordshire forest, with Paul Weller performing on July 6 and Jack Savoretti on July 7.
Jess posted a lengthy statement on her social media accounts saying she was "devastated to be letting anyone down" but that doctors had advised her she "urgently" needed to take a break if she wants to continue performing in the future.
She had recently supported the Spice Girls on their UK reunion tour and in her statement admitted to partying with the 90s girl band the night before she pulled out of her performance at the Isle of Wight Festival.
The festival later banned her for life for pulling out so late.
In a statement, the singer said: "It absolutely kills me to say this – especially given what has happened in the past few weeks – but on the advice of my throat surgeon, I am going to have to cancel my next shows through until July 14 and I hope to be back as soon as possible after that.
"I know many of my fans feel I let them down so badly when I pulled out of the Isle of Wight festival but the reason I knew I just wasn’t going to be able to make that performance has now been made clear to be by my doctor, Dr Zeitels.
"It is true that I went out and celebrated the end of the Spice tour. That was a massive high for me and I wanted to mark it with the women who’d become friends and mentors to me.
"But I had also been suffering on and off for weeks with anxiety about my voice. It wasn’t right. I wasn’t sounding my best and I felt there was something wrong.
'If my voice goes, I go'
"Two days ago I came to Boston to see my surgeon who told me my vocal chord has haemorrhaged and that if I wanted to remain as a performer I needed to urgently take a break, rest my voice completely for the next 10 days and try and remain in total silence to give my vocal chords a chance to recover.
"Basically he told me I have been completely overdoing everything. In the last six months I’ve performed almost 100 shows, I’ve pushed through at times when I know I’ve been tired and overstretched and I got to breaking point, my voice literally got to breaking point.
"The thing is I am my voice. If my voice goes, I go."
She added: "I am so privileged to do what I do, I am so privileged to have fans out there who come and see me. But I never want to be less than 100 per cent. I never want to give you less than 100 per cent.
"I am so devastated to be letting anyone down but I want you to know the full truth of my situation so you understand why I have to do this. All I know is I have to go away, look after my voice and come back stronger, better and be the performer my fans truly deserve."
A Forestry England spokesman said: "We are sorry to announce that Jess Glynne has had to cancel her concerts as part of Forest Live in Sherwood Pines Forest Park, near Mansfield, this Friday 28 June; Dalby Forest, near Pickering, on Saturday 29 June; and Cannock Chase Forest, near Rugeley, on Friday 5 July.
"Unfortunately these concerts cannot be rescheduled. Ticket holders for the Forest Live performances will be contacted by their point of purchase to arrange a refund.
"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and wish Jess Glynne a speedy recovery."
For further information, visit www.forestryengland.uk/music.
