Dancing On Ice's Michael Ball's life off-screen including tragic reason he can't have children

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Michael Ball, singer and West End star, has previously opened up about the tragedy that ruled out fatherhood for him. The performer, known for his roles in iconic musicals such as Les Misérables, took over BBC Radio 2's Love Songs show following Steve Wright's sad passing.

Now, he is set to appear on ITV's Dancing On Ice with singing colleague Alfie Boe, serenading skating stars like Mollie Pearce, Sam Aston, and Dan Edgar, reports the Mirror.

Ball, who has been with his partner Cathy McGowan since the '80s, faced a life-altering setback in his youth. A charity parachute jump gone wrong at 18 resulted in a ruptured groin and internal bleeding, leading to multiple surgeries and years of hidden pain due to impotence, OK! magazine reports.

"I was going to earth at four times the speed I was meant to and got dragged along the floor," Ball recounts the harrowing accident that left emotional and physical scars. "It was very difficult to come to terms with. I was so embarrassed by what had happened to me down below that I didn't tell anyone for six months. All I ever thought was, 'Will I ever be normal?'

"I didn't feel adequate to be with the rest of the lads running with all the girls. I didn't have a sexual relationship for more than four years."

Michael, in the face of physical adversity, turned to his singing talents for solace amidst difficult times. It was during this period that he encountered Cathy, an iconic figure once deemed the queen of the Sixties mod scene, now 81 years old.

He shared: "She taught me not to feel like a freak. She made me feel attractive for me, not for being Mr Entertainment. I love my home, I love the normality of my life with Cathy."

Reflecting on his past challenges, Michael also divulged his struggles with substance abuse, which he used as a crutch to cope with intense anxiety that led to panic attacks onstage. This anxiety ultimately compelled him to depart from Les Miserables, but after a break of nine months, he made a victorious return in Phantom of the Opera.

Yet his fight against inner demons continued; excessive drinking caused him to withdraw into isolation, and he found himself depending on beta-blocker pills to calm his staging nerves before appearances.

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