George Michael talks about ‘touch and go’ illness

Pop star George Michael, back in the UK after being treated in a Vienna hospital for pneumonia, said today that it was “touch and go for a couple of weeks”.

The former Wham! frontman was treated in Austria after falling ill in November while on tour for the first time in three years.

Speaking outside his home in north London, he said: “I feel amazing. I mean, I’m very weak but I feel amazing.

“I’d say touch and go for a couple of weeks but we played it down.

“I didn’t want to worry my fans too much and I’m really sorry I couldn’t contact them in any way before now but I was really not in any state to.”

Doctors said he had to be treated in intensive care because of the “severity and extension” of the illness.

A breathless Michael, 48, said: “They spent three weeks keeping me alive basically. I don’t want to take you through all of it because some of it I want to protect my family from and I’m sure I’ll get it all written down but it was by far the worst month of my life.

“I’m incredibly, incredibly fortunate to be here and incredibly fortunate to have picked up this bug where I did because apparently the hospital in Austria that they rushed me to was absolutely the best place in the world I could have been to deal with pneumonia, so I have to believe that somebody thinks I’ve still got some work to do here.”

The tour began in Prague in the Czech Republic in August and saw him play 45 shows in 35 cities before it was cancelled.

He was due to play UK shows on his Symphonica tour until the week before Christmas.

Michael added: “I promise them, absolutely without question, the plan is to play to every single person who had a ticket.

“Also actually I would like to play one other show for the doctors in Austria that saved my life because I spent the last 10 days since I woke up literally thanking people for saving my life which is something I have never had to do before and never want to do again.”

Michael was suffering from streptococcus pneumoniae, a form of pneumonia, and said doctor’s “spent three weeks keeping me alive”.

He added that he had had a tracheostomy while in hospital.

The singer said his family, fans and “the fact that I still have plenty to live for” had helped him pull through the illness.

He added: “I have an amazing, amazing life and if I wasn’t spiritual enough before the last four five weeks then I certainly am now.”