Busted’s James Bourne ‘still not out of the woods’ with health issues

By Pierra Willix, Press Association Senior Entertainment Reporter

Busted’s James Bourne has shared he is “still not out of the woods yet” with his health.

Just a day before the Busted Vs McFly tour was set to kick off in September last year, the 42-year-old pulled out citing health issues, later sharing in April this year he had undergone “major surgery that should extend my life”.

Since then, Bourne has deleted his Instagram account and not shared any additional details on his health issues.

But on Friday, he posted on X and explained he would reveal more publicly soon.

“As I’m taking a break from the gram, I’ll be posting an update soon about what’s going on with my health in my Spotify bio,” he said.

“It’s a long story. Still not out of the woods yet.  Thanks for your support and patience.”

When announcing he had to quit the Busted Vs McFly tour, Bourne shared on Instagram: “The VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as I’ve been all year for this tour to begin.

“I’m really sorry to say that over the last 8 days it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows.”

“There’s a lot of information I still don’t have about my condition but my bandmates, management and I are unanimous in deciding that I should focus on the medical stuff for now.”

Although he did not go into any further details on his health issues, Bourne said his bandmates Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson supported his decision to step down.

During the first show of the tour, Willis told fans that Bourne was “really sick”, adding: “We love him, and we miss him.”

When sharing his statement on social media, Bourne also told fans he “really hoped I can be in a position to come back further down the line”.

However he then did not post on social media for six months, but returned in April and revealed he required surgery, but did not say what for.

He posted on Instagram: “I have a plan in place to have a major surgery that should extend my life and hopefully make me well enough to come back to what I love the most which is touring and making music. It really sucks to be out of the game. But there is hope!”

Busted  were formed in 2000 and have had released four studio albums, four UK number-one singles, and won two Brit Awards.