Andrew Lloyd Webber was driven to the brink of suicide by the prostate cancer battle that left him impotent.
The composer, 73, said agony and lack of sleep almost led to him overdosing on painkillers.
He added: “I did think of suicide. It was so painful and I couldn’t sleep.
“You have all those ridiculous painkillers and none of them work and you just think, ‘I shall take the whole lot of them.’”
The three times married dad-of-five said treatment for prostate cancer left him impotent before he was given the all-clear from the disease in 2010.
It comes after the news that Andrew has signed up Strictly Come Dancing 2021 runner-up John Whaite for a new show this summer.
(Image: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
According to The Sun, the GBBO winner has landed the lead role in the theatre guru’s next big musical.
The show is expected to launch in July.
A source told the publication: “John will take centre stage in the show. It’s a dream job for him.
“He really impressed on Strictly and when Andrew found out John has an excellent singing voice too, he reached out.
(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“It could be an incredible new start for him.”
Lord Webber was left “absolutely devastated” in December after his West End production of Cinderella was forced to close until this month.
The theatre impresario described at the time how his life has been “devoted to musical theatre”.
But the decision was made to postpone his latest theatre offering in a bid to “avoid more disruption” as the Omicron variant swept through London and across the UK.
(Image: UPI/PA Images)
He told his 218,000 followers on Twitter in December: “Once again, this wretched virus has put paid to the joy of entertaining audiences, something that I hold so dear.
“Sadly this is the right thing to do, not just for the safety of our cast, musicians and backstage crew, but for the quality of the show we give our audiences who travel long distances and make significant investments to come and see us.
“Rest assured, Cinderella will re-open as soon as this wave is licked and we know we can give our audiences the fantastic time they deserve.”
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
