STEPS star Ian ‘H’ Watkins has revealed he has been battling an “awful” health issue for four months.
The singer, 48, says he has lost half of his vocal range after being struck down with a mystery virus.
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Claiming the illness has ‘knocked him for six’, H said he would have had to put the brakes on if Steps was currently touring.
H told Heat magazine: “When we launched Steps The Musical in Birmingham, I had this awful virus and I still have not recovered from that.
“So, if I had been asked to do a show, I would have had to have cancelled.
“Half of my range has just gone. It knocked me for six.”
Welsh singer H was 20 years old when he found fame as one fifth of pop group Steps.
But prior to that, he had debated a career in art.
Age 18, he had been offered a place at Cardiff School of Art and Design but he turned it down to focus on music.
H has now returned to his first love and will soon be teaching art to school kids.
He also told Heat: “I am going to our local school to teach the kids art. I’m very privileged that I can do the school run, paint, take a little job here and there.”
H has transformed his Instagram account into a gallery of his most recent art work.
Steps reunite on stage to announce nationwide tour of their musical Here & Now
Last week, he shared a stunning painting of a field full of yellow flowers alongside a video of himself creating it.
H told his followers: “Since my art is such a heartfelt tribute to Wales and its landscapes, I want to take this moment to wish you all a very happy St David’s Day.
“It’s also a chance for me to reflect on how lucky I am to call this beautiful and inspiring place both my home and my muse.”
H also told BBC News: “I packed up my artistic dreams in a box and put it on the top shelf.
“I always knew I would open it up one day. And now’s that time.”
Meanwhile, last November Steps launched their musical tour Hear & Now.
The show is packed with the band’s hit songs and will be touring the UK this summer and into 2026.
Steps told The Sun last month that they hope to turn Hear & Now into a movie, while also plotting a plan to perform at Glastonbury.
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