EastEnders star John Partridge reveals he ‘couldn’t speak for nine months’ after major surgery following serious health scare
John Partridge has revealed that he has been in severe pain as a result of surgeries that left him unable to speak.
The EastEnders actor, 52, who played the role of Christian Clarke in the BBC One soap for eight years, opened up about undergoing surgery on his singing.
During Sunday Brunch, John gave the health update when he explained that he had the procedure after discovering cysts that needed to be removed.
He said: “I had two surgeries on my vocal cords during the pandemic and there was no guarantee that I would ever really sing or speak again.
“I just got my all-clear from Guy’s Hospital last week that I’m totally fit, fighting fit and ready to go.”
‘I couldn’t speak at all for nine months’: John Partridge has revealed he has been in severe pain due to surgeries that left him unable to speak
‘I healed very badly’: The EastEnders actor, 52, who played Christian Clarke in the BBC One soap for eight years, opened up about undergoing surgery on his singing
Speaking to presenters Simon Rimmer and Tim Lovejoy, he continued: ‘Singing to me is like my seventh sense – I couldn’t speak at all for nine months and for me it was like losing my sight or my hearing.
“I sing when I’m feeling good, when I’m feeling down, I sing without realizing it when you’re driving the car. It was really debilitating.’
John also revealed that he was more left-handed with “a lot of scarring” after a cyst healed poorly on his left vocal cord.
After having surgery again, John, who currently stars on Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, revealed that his voice changed and that it “raised the pitch of his voice.”
He explained, “In my first surgery I had a cyst on my left vocal cord and it went very, very well, but I healed very badly because it was historic.
“My body didn’t realize it no longer had a cyst. So when they took it away and wrapped it up, my body was like, “Ooh, what’s that?!” and pushed it out, so I was very drawn.
“So when I came back in and they saw it, I had what they call a glottoplasty. This is what happens when you go from male to female, it’s kind of a female vocal feminization process where they shave your vocal cords a little bit to raise the pitch of your voice.
“So my left chord they shaved off a little bit, so I have a few extra notes on top. So now I have the voice I should have had (when I was younger).”
‘Just got everything clear’: John gave the health update as he explained he had the procedure after discovering cysts that needed to be removed and the surgery has caused his voice to change