‘Our greatest achievements? OUR HOME LIFE'

West End stars Michael Ball and Alfie Boe tell us why they’re so grateful for their loved ones in this time of uncertainty

- HAYLEY MINN

The coronavirus pandemic has been a scary time for all of us. But it was particularly worrying for Michael Ball when he developed Covid earlier this year.

Michael, 58, tells us, ‘It was pretty nasty. I had all the classic symptoms, I didn’t have to go to hospital or anything like that, but it wasn’t nice. I’m fine now, though, thankfully.’

But Michael says that falling ill with coronavirus ‘spurred him on’ to write more music during lockdown, and was part of the reason for him getting together with Alfie Boe again to release a much-needed Christmas album, Together at Christmas.

‘We thought that the nation needed a bit of Christmas cheer and an element of happiness,’ Alfie, 47, says.

Alfie and Michael are heartbroken about the closure of the UK’s theatre industry due to the pandemic – although Michael jokes he would walk into the middle of the road and say ‘thank you’ to Clap for Carers every Thursday night during lockdown, to make him feel as though he was being applauded!