Will Young reveals pulling out of Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 was the ‘hardest point’ of his career as he battled PTSD and panic attacks ’24 hours a day’

Will Young has described having to retire from Strictly in 2016 as ‘the hardest point’ of his entire career.

The 45-year-old singer and songwriter, who was diagnosed with complex PTSD and suffered from extreme panic attacks, said he went against the advice of medical professionals and joined the BBC show at a time when he wasn’t well enough to do so .

Heartbreakingly, he said he was ‘having panic attacks 24 hours a day’ and couldn’t even leave the house to go to the shops because of his anxiety.

The star, who is now back with new single Falling Deep, said on the How To Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast on Wednesday: ‘I wish I had experienced it when I wasn’t sick because I would have loved it!’

‘I love dancing, I studied ballet and contemporary. I was actually really excited about doing the show, but it was hard to just leave the house and go 20 yards to the corner store.

The 45-year-old singer and songwriter, who was diagnosed with complex PTSD and suffered from extreme panic attacks, said he went against the advice of medical professionals and joined the BBC show at the time when he was not well enough to to survive.

‘I was in the middle of a long-term breakdown and PTSD, and I quickly discovered that I couldn’t do this. It was increased agoraphobia. Imagine having panic attacks 24 hours a day. To be honest, I don’t know how I did it.’

“I don’t consider it a failure, but I do consider it probably the most difficult point of my career.”

Will – who was linked to pro Karen Hauer – added that he would choose a male partner if he were to compete on Strictly Now – an option he was not offered at the time.

He explained: ‘If I did it now, I would dance with a male partner. I don’t think it was an option [back then]. I don’t think it was a conversation, no.’

The singer, who won the first Pop Idol series in 2002, also said the show’s response made him feel unwelcome in the music industry.

He explained, “I think there was a backlash against Pop Idol for a long time. There was quite a bit of setback and I found that very difficult.

“So I would go to things and hear people laughing at me. People who were my heroes. So I felt very unwelcome within the music. I think it took me a long time to shake it – maybe I’ve never really shaken it before.’

‘It broke my heart. I was 22 and I heard people [talking about me]and since they didn’t like the show, they didn’t like me either!’

Will – who was linked to pro Karen Hauer – added that he would choose a male partner if he were to compete on Strictly Now – an option he was not offered at the time.

Heartbreakingly, he said he was ‘having panic attacks 24 hours a day’ and couldn’t even leave the house to go to the shops because of his anxiety.

However, Will added that now that he has been in music for more than 20 years, he feels more comfortable and proud of his longevity.

“There’s this great moment where you’ve been doing it for a while and you suddenly think, ‘Oh, I’ve been doing this for a while and I’m STILL doing it.’

‘It was after eight or ten years [into my career] and I ran into Florence + the Machine, and I think she was happy to see me. And I thought, ‘I’ve been doing it for a while.’ And then you settle down a bit and now I’m at the stage where it partly feels like I’m just getting started, actually!’

It comes after Will explained in 2021 how he was left with PTSD after attending a boarding school with abusive teachers.

The star spoke candidly with The guard about his experiences in high school in the ’80s, admitting that some of the things he saw and experienced were “horrible.”

Looking back, he claimed about the publication that some staff threw children ‘against radiators’ and ripped out the only phone they had to contact their parents or ChildLine, as well as leering at them while they were changing.

He reflected: ‘We weren’t allowed to wear trousers under our football shorts, so my dick would fall out of my football shorts when I was tackled. Wash less.

‘I saw children having to change clothes on the football field because they were wearing trousers. Teachers look at our penises in the shower, in the bath.’

The singer, who won the first Pop Idol series in 2002, also said the show’s response made him feel unwelcome in the music industry.

‘It was horrible. That’s why I have PTSD. There was such a sense of injustice from the things I experienced and witnessed. I think I escaped – not that it didn’t do me any harm.’

He also claimed there were some things he couldn’t “talk about” in the interview, but said there was a teacher who told students not to get in a car, and other staff who got drunk and “flipped around ‘ in the car. the children’s dormitories.

Will attended the school with his brother Rupert, who tragically committed suicide in August 2020 after years of battling mental health and addiction.

Will Young’s single Falling Deep is out now. Tickets for his Light It Up UK tour go on sale Friday and his new album Light It Up is released on August 9.