West End legend Michael Ball reveals the risky singing hack he uses for every performance

Michael Ball always sings with a throat lozenge in his mouth. The 62-year-old star has made a career out of starring in West End musicals such as 'Phantom of the Opera' and 'Les Miserables' and revealed that he always relies on a VocalZone to get him through a big number, but the practice does not come without its risks. Speaking on UK TV show 'Lorraine', he said: "You get it, you put it in, and it lodges [just below the cheek].

And then I'm singing all the way through. I choked on one once, during 'Love Changes Everything' and it was getting to the big bit and it was all happening and lubricated. And I did a big breath in and it got stuck! I thought 'What do I do?, My musical director doesn't know the Heimlich!' "So I just thought 'Let's use the force of air' and it came flying out into about the sixth row and it was perfectly fine.



So that's what I do, every time you hear me singing, know that I've got one of them." Meanwhile, the musical theatre star has carved out a secondary career as an author in recent years and revealed that he has already sold the rights to his new book 'A Backstage Betrayal' for a screen adaptation but has no interest in playing a leading part himself. He said: "The rights have been bought and the conversations are happening, literally as we speak.

I can't wait. I wouldn't want to [be in it], I think that would be a little bit of an overkill. "The odd cameo, here and there, lurking in the background sweeping the stage, which is probably what I should've been doing in the first place.

"I would love to do it, and I am going to be involved in the whole process of it.".