By Milo Pope
Copyright metro
Charlie Simpson has cancelled several UK gigs for Busted amid James Bourne’s illness (Picture: Getty)
Busted star Charlie Simpson has sparked concerns after cancelling a string of UK gigs amid James Bourne’s mystery health battle.
Earlier this week, bandmate James quit the Busted Vs McFly tour across the UK and Ireland just over 24 hours before it was due to kick off.
Posting on Instagram, he shared: ‘The VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as l’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 🙁’
While he didn’t share any further details on his health issues, his bandmate Charlie told a crowd during their first show in Birmingham on Tuesday that James was ‘really sick’ and we ‘love him so much and we miss him’.
Choking back tears, Matt Willis continued: ‘We love him, we talked to him and we said, mate, do we pull out of this? What do we do? He said no – I want you to keep playing the shows.’
James also recently pulled out of a UK and Ireland tour with McFly (Picture: Getty)
Matt Willis recently became tearful at a show as he discussed James’s illness (Picture: Getty)
Busted were formed in 2000 (Picture: South Coast Press/ Rex/ Shutterstock)
Now, following the news that Charlie has cancelled several future gigs, there are growing worries amongst the Busted fanbase.
In his original announcement, James also explained: ‘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,’ he continued.
The former Son of Dork frontman promised fans they will still get ‘an amazing show’, and he’s hopeful he can get back to doing what he loves ‘further down the line.’
He added: ‘I really hope I can be in a position to come back further down the line. It’s still going to be an amazing show, and I will miss being there! See you all as soon as possible.’
According to the Sun, fans who attempt to buy tickets to see the band are greeted with the following response: ‘Thank you so much for buying tickets to Charlie Simpson’s DJ set at Gorilla Manchester.
@sineadmcfly Wishing James a speedy recovery. They were great without him! #busted #jamesbourne #mcfly #bustedvsmcfly #fyp @Busted ♬ original sound – Sinead 💞
Busted have shared a health update on bandmate James Bourne (Picture: Mike Lewis Photography/ Redferns)
https://www.instagram.com/p/DOn0FL-jUB-/?hl=en
‘Unfortunately due to the ongoing health issues of James and the strain that it is putting on Charlie and the rest of the band, he has had to make the difficult decision to cancel all upcoming DJ sets.’
It went on: ‘All tickets will be refunded, please expect a refund in 3-5 working days.
‘We are so sorry for any inconvenience caused. Many thanks.’
Formed in 2000, Busted earned four UK number-one singles, won two Brit Awards, released four albums, and sold over 5 million records worldwide. before disbanding in 2005. They later reunited a decade later after pursuing their own solo careers.
This current tour sees Busted take on McFly – Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd – in a WWE-style on-stage battle.
The two bands previously joined forces as McBusted, but this time they will hit the stage as rivals.
‘The whole tour is to find out who’s a better band. Fans can decide. [The fans] can come and support their band, and they might change their mind. It’s going to be a fight to the death,’ the groups previously teased.
