Michael Ball didn't leave his home for nine months due to 'terrible' health condition

World-renowned singer Michael Ball revealed he once didn't leave his home for nine months as he struggled with health issues. The star, who is performing on Strictly Come Dancing's results show tonight with opera singer Alfie Boe, opened up about his struggles with panic attacks and agrophobia.

A person with agoraphobia is afraid to leave environments they know or consider to be safe. In severe cases, a person with agoraphobia considers their home to be the only safe environment.

He spoke about the challenging period in his life on ITV show Love Your Weekend. He told host Alan Titchmarsh: "I withdrew from Les Mis because I had terrible stage fright and panic attacks and walked out of the show.

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"This was 1986, right at the beginning when I had the brightest future going and I thought I'd lost it all."

Theatre legend Cameron Mackintosh, who produced Les Miserables, played a crucial role in coaxing Michael back to the stage. Michael shared: "I found my way back in, thank goodness Cameron rang me up and said, 'Darling, back on the horse, you're going into Phantom' and it was a pivotal moment."

Discussing how long he grappled with these issues, Michael told the Express: "For nine months I just stayed in my flat, I became completely agoraphobic.

"I should have talked to people but I didn't and that was the mistake I had." Michael admitted that he still battles with anxiety and nerves before taking to the stage, but has discovered ways to handle it.

He cited tapping his hand as a strategy to calm his nerves before a performance.

The West End star has twice won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He won in 2008 for his role as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, and then in 2013 for the title role in the revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. In 1992, Michael represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest, clinching second place with his song One Step Out Of Time.