Latest news with #LesleyGarrett
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Opera legend Lesley Garrett is considering retirement
Lesley Garrett could be heading for retirement. The 70-year-old soprano has been a name in the world of opera for decades but is determined "quit while [she] is ahead" because her voice is "changing" as time goes on. She told The Sunday Express: "I do think about retiring because don't want to go on when I'm not as good as was. "I want to quit while Im ahead, I don't want to carry on past my sell by date. My voice is changing, as voices do. It's still beautiful in the middle, but I can't get as high as I used to. Every season I think could be my last." "This one I seriously think could be my last year, because I am 70 and it seems like a very round number - I've been doing this for exactly 45 years." The former Strictly Come Dancing star - who has released eleven solo albums and appeared in productions of The Sound of Music and Carousel over the course of her career - recently revealed that she previously discovered a rare tumour that she worried could have spelled the end of her career. She said: "They found by accident that I'd got a tumour on my thymus gland, which is a tiny gland which sits almost on top of your heart. "At first I was told not to worry about it as they are so slow growing they are almost benign nut then a year later I noticed my voice wasn't working properly. "I was worried that my singing career might be over - I was really quite scared. "A lot of the nerves that given the larynx govern the same area." Lesley went back for a second visit and it was then decided that the tumour should be removed. She added: "So, I went back and they scanned me. During that yeat since my I still visit, they had reclassified the tumour and changed the advice. They thought I should have it removed."
Wales Online
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Lesley Garrett cast in Northern Ireland Opera's Follies after cancer surgery
Lesley Garrett cast in Northern Ireland Opera's Follies after cancer surgery Garrett will play Heidi Schiller in Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's musical about a group of former showgirls, at the Grand Opera House in Belfast in the autumn Internationally acclaimed soprano Lesley Garrett (Image: ©William Cherry / Presseye ) Classical singer Lesley Garrett has joined the Northern Ireland Opera's revival of Follies, after her cancer surgery. Garrett will play Heidi Schiller in Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's musical about a group of former showgirls, at the Grand Opera House in Belfast in the autumn. The British soprano said on ITV's This Morning earlier this month that she had cancer surgery after being diagnosed with thymoma, a rare cancer of the thymus gland, which could have affected her singing. Since the surgery to remove the tumour, she has made a successful recovery and will now be joining the Follies cast. Garrett said: "I'm so excited to be coming back to Belfast and especially to be making my debut with Northern Ireland Opera at the age of 70. "Sondheim's Follies is a masterpiece and I'm delighted to have been given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform the iconic role of Heidi Schiller." Article continues below The production marks the singer's 45th anniversary in the industry and her debut with the Northern Ireland Opera, where she will play the "opera diva" of the Weismann's Follies. Set in 1971, the musical follows the group as they return to their former Broadway stage at Weisman Theatre, for a final reunion show before its scheduled demolition. Jazz singer Jacqueline Dankworth, who was in the original cast of the West End debut for Sondheim's Into The Woods in 1990, will join the cast as Carlotta Campion. West End stars Anna-Jane Casey and Annette McLaughlin will play former room mates Sally Plummer and Phyllis Stone. The production is directed by Cameron Menzies, with Greg Arrowsmith as the musical director. The musical scored seven Tony awards at the 1972 ceremony and is best known for its songs Broadway Baby, I'm Still Here and Losing My Mind. Article continues below Follies will run from September 13-20.
Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox Sports
UFL Best Defensive Plays of Week 10 United Football League
Lesley Garrett will play Heidi Schiller in Follies (Yui Mok/PA) This article is brought to you by our exclusive subscriber partnership with our sister title USA Today, and has been written by our American colleagues. It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald. Classical singer Lesley Garrett has joined the Northern Ireland Opera's revival of Follies, after her cancer surgery. Garrett will play Heidi Schiller in Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's musical about a group of former showgirls, at the Grand Opera House in Belfast in the autumn, The British soprano said on ITV's This Morning earlier this month that she had cancer surgery after being diagnosed with thymoma, a rare cancer of the thymus gland, which could have affected her singing. Lesley Garrett had cancer surgery (Ian West/PA) Since the surgery to remove the tumour, she has made a successful recovery and will now be joining the Follies cast. Garrett said: 'I'm so excited to be coming back to Belfast and especially to be making my debut with Northern Ireland Opera at the age of 70. 'Sondheim's Follies is a masterpiece and I'm delighted to have been given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform the iconic role of Heidi Schiller.' The production marks the singer's 45th anniversary in the industry and her debut with the Northern Ireland Opera, where she will play the 'opera diva' of the Weismann's Follies. Set in 1971, the musical follows the group as they return to their former Broadway stage at Weisman Theatre, for a final reunion show before its scheduled demolition. Lesley Garrett performs during a ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, at the National Memorial Arboretum (Danny Lawson/PA) Jazz singer Jacqueline Dankworth, who was in the original cast of the West End debut for Sondheim's Into The Woods in 1990, will join the cast as Carlotta Campion. West End stars Anna-Jane Casey and Annette McLaughlin will play former room mates Sally Plummer and Phyllis Stone. The production is directed by Cameron Menzies, with Greg Arrowsmith as the musical director. The musical scored seven Tony awards at the 1972 ceremony and is best known for its songs Broadway Baby, I'm Still Here and Losing My Mind. Follies will run from September 13-20.
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Lesley Garrett cast in Northern Ireland Opera's Follies after cancer surgery
The British soprano said on ITV's This Morning earlier this month that she had cancer surgery after being diagnosed with thymoma, a rare cancer of the thymus gland, which could have affected her singing. Lesley Garrett had cancer surgery (Ian West/PA) Since the surgery to remove the tumour, she has made a successful recovery and will now be joining the Follies cast. Garrett said: 'I'm so excited to be coming back to Belfast and especially to be making my debut with Northern Ireland Opera at the age of 70. 'Sondheim's Follies is a masterpiece and I'm delighted to have been given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform the iconic role of Heidi Schiller.' The production marks the singer's 45th anniversary in the industry and her debut with the Northern Ireland Opera, where she will play the 'opera diva' of the Weismann's Follies. Set in 1971, the musical follows the group as they return to their former Broadway stage at Weisman Theatre, for a final reunion show before its scheduled demolition. Lesley Garrett performs during a ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, at the National Memorial Arboretum (Danny Lawson/PA) Jazz singer Jacqueline Dankworth, who was in the original cast of the West End debut for Sondheim's Into The Woods in 1990, will join the cast as Carlotta Campion. West End stars Anna-Jane Casey and Annette McLaughlin will play former room mates Sally Plummer and Phyllis Stone. The production is directed by Cameron Menzies, with Greg Arrowsmith as the musical director. The musical scored seven Tony awards at the 1972 ceremony and is best known for its songs Broadway Baby, I'm Still Here and Losing My Mind. Follies will run from September 13-20.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Opera star Lesley Garrett: Surgery after my terrifying cancer diagnosis could have destroyed my voice - that would have been a kind of death in itself
When thousands of people gathered to hear British opera legend Lesley Garrett perform in Bristol for an open-air gala in July last year, few could have guessed just how significant an event it was for the star. Indeed, the Doncaster-born soprano, who has enjoyed a hugely successful 45-year singing career which has included serenading the Royal Family, performing in West End musicals and hosting her own show on Classic FM – as well as coming third on the first season of Strictly Come Dancing – likens the experience of performing that day to being 'reborn'. Having delighted the crowd with rousing anthems such as Rule, Britannia! and You'll Never Walk Alone, she recalls telling the audience at the Action Aid event that she was pleased to be back after spending three months recovering from surgery. But, as she acknowledges now, that may have been understating it just a little. For the truth is that Lesley, who turned 70 last month, had been diagnosed with a form of cancer so rare it affects just 380 people in the UK every year – and it could have robbed her of her celebrated voice altogether. Called a thymoma, it is a tumour on the thymus gland – a tiny organ that sits below the breastbone, just above the heart and between the lungs. Its position is perilously close to two important nerves that control movement in the diaphragm and the voice box, so removing the tumour meant there was a small risk of permanent damage that could have left her unable to sing. Not removing it, however, could have allowed the cancer to spread. After delighting the crowd with rousing anthems such as Rule, Britannia! and You'll Never Walk Alone, Garrett told the audience at the Action Aid event that she was pleased to be back following three months of recovery from surgery But thanks to the skill of her NHS surgeons, and the use of high-tech robotic surgery techniques, she was breaking into song – albeit only around her house – just days after the op. And she was back on stage, with the audience none the wiser, in just a few months. Speaking about her ordeal for the first time, Lesley says: 'Knowing there was a risk to my voice, that I could lose it and my career, was so terrifying – so unthinkable – that I had no choice but to lock my fears away. 'If I'd lost the ability to sing, it would have been the end of my life, really – I'd have lost an essential part of myself. Singing isn't just what I do, it's who I am. I'd have lost myself, and I can't imagine what I would have done. It would have been a kind of death. 'But thanks to my wonderful NHS team and the cleverness of the technology I have made a full recovery and there has been no lasting effect on my voice. 'I'm so relieved and grateful, and hope that by shining a light on a rare cancer we can raise awareness and understanding of it.' Lesley – who lives in north London and has two children with her husband Peter Christian, a retired GP – knows only too well the devastation cancer can cause. She lost both parents to different forms of the disease – her father died of leukaemia in December 2012, and her mother followed nine months later after being diagnosed with kidney cancer that had spread to her lungs. But it was when her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer during the early part of the pandemic that she became more 'vigilant' about checking herself for signs of disease. To her surprise, she found a breast lump in autumn 2021 and was referred to the breast clinic at London's Whittington Hospital. But although it was found to be nothing to worry about, a scan picked up the growth on her thymus gland, which is responsible for making infection-fighting immune-system cells. 'These are very rare tumours and most small cancer centres might only see one or two a year,' explains oncologist James Wilson. 'They can behave oddly and jump around the body if they spread or recur, so it's important to see a specialist so they know where to scan. Symptoms generally include a persistent cough, hoarseness or a heaviness in the chest. 'In general, most cases are, like Lesley's, picked up incidentally when people are being investigated for something else – and if removed early, there's an 80 to 90 per cent chance they'll never bother you again.' When Lesley was told the lump that had been discovered was a thymoma, it was originally thought to be benign and need no treatment. But she developed some 'unusual vocal symptoms' in early 2023 and she was referred to specialists at University College Hospital in central London. 'My voice just didn't seem to be behaving properly,' she recalls. 'I'd want to go for a high note and it wouldn't do it in the same way. Something wasn't quite right.' Like most singers, Lesley is supremely well attuned to any vocal issues, and particularly because she had already faced a potentially career-ending crisis 20 years ago when she burst a blood vessel in her larynx during a performance with the English National Opera. Her rehabilitation took months, and doctors only told her once it had healed that the episode could have stopped her singing for good, which she describes as 'genuinely terrifying'. But she had to face those fears again. While a scan appeared to suggest the thymoma had not grown, a multi-disciplinary team led by thoracic surgeon Davide Patrini recommended that she have surgery to remove the tumour and the gland itself. For many thymoma patients this can be a major operation which involves cutting open the sternum – the breastbone – to reach the thymus underneath. It can also be performed in some cases as a keyhole operation, which is less invasive and uses smaller incisions. But at some NHS hospitals, including University College Hospital, the op is increasingly being carried out with advanced surgical technology using a Da Vinci robot. The machines, of which there are around 200 across the NHS, use tiny surgical instruments and state-of-the-art cameras on robotic arms that are inserted into the body through incisions just under 1in wide. The surgeon sits behind a console that gives a clear view inside the patient on screens and allows control of the robotic arms. Mr Patrini said: 'The robotic approach has several proven benefits compared to traditional surgery, including reduced pain, faster recovery and improved surgical precision and dexterity. 'The blood loss is minimal and patients are discharged around 30 to 40 per cent faster, often within 24 to 48 hours.' For Lesley, this precision was particularly important. The thymus gland is close to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which sends signals to the larynx or voice box, and the phrenic nerves, which help to control the diaphragm. Studies suggest that up to 5 per cent of people having thymectomies – operations to remove the thymus – end up with permanent damage to these nerves, which can cause paralysis or weakness of the vocal cords. But robotic surgery makes this less likely, Mr Patrini says. Mr Wilson, who is overseeing Lesley's ongoing care, explains: 'Lots of patients in my clinic end up with a paralysed diaphragm on one side, but for Lesley to sing she needs both sides to be working properly, otherwise she would have lost a significant proportion of her singing capacity.' Lesley says the team were 'extremely careful' to explain any possible side-effects. 'I couldn't bring myself to face the possibility that I'd never sing again – the idea was so terrifying I couldn't let myself even go there. I had no choice but to put my faith in the doctors. 'I knew they were fantastically capable, but I did say to them, 'You will just steer clear of those nerves, won't you dears, because I do want to have a voice.' 'I made light of it, although the anaesthetist looked pretty shocked when he realised it was me they'd be operating on. 'But I trusted the team, and the robot was just the most incredible kit I've seen in my life. I felt really privileged to have that expertise at my disposal.' The surgery took place on March 1 last year – the day after Lesley finished a stint playing Berta in English National Opera's production of Rossini's The Barber Of Seville. The two-hour operation was carried out by Kunal Bhakhri, a specialist in robotic thoracic surgery at University College Hospital, and involved deflating her right lung to allow better access into the chest cavity. Three small incisions were made, and the instruments were inserted through the rib cage without damaging the ribs. One robotic arm cut around the tumour and the gland, while another placed it into a surgical bag before removing it from the body to avoid 'seeding' any cancer cells along the way. 'I was kept in overnight, but I was out the following morning,' says Lesley. 'I was back up and singing around the house in a couple of days. It was amazing.' Tests revealed the tumour had grown and breached the thin membrane around the thymus, making it a stage-two cancer. But the surgery had successfully removed all of it, which meant Lesley did not need to have any further radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Instead, she must have follow-up scans every six months, which will be reduced to once a year, for the next ten to 15 years to make sure it does not come back. These will also keep an eye on Lesley's enlarged aorta, which was also picked up when her thymoma was diagnosed. In the meantime, she'll be performing alongside Russell Watson at the Proms In The Park in Bedford on July 6. 'I can't wait to get up there and give it my all,' she says. 'I received, and continue to receive, such fantastic care from the team at University College Hospital, and if talking about it helps to make this apparently rather unusual cancer better understood, then it's my duty and privilege to do that.'
