Lesley Garrett could be heading for retirement.
The 70-year-old soprano has been a name in the world of opera for decades but is determined “quit while [she] is ahead” because her voice is “changing” as time goes on.
She told The Sunday Express: “I do think about
retiring because don’t want to go on when I’m not as good as was.
“I want to quit while Im ahead, I don’t
want to carry on past my sell by date. My voice is changing, as voices do. It’s still beautiful in the middle, but I can’t get as high as I used to. Every season I think could be my last.”
“This one I seriously think could be my
last year, because I am 70 and it seems like
a very round number – I’ve been doing this
for exactly 45 years.”
The former Strictly Come Dancing star – who has released eleven solo albums and appeared in productions of The Sound of Music and Carousel over the course of her career – recently revealed that she previously discovered a rare tumour that she worried could have spelled the end of her career.
She said: “They found by accident that I’d got a tumour on my thymus gland, which is a tiny gland which sits almost on top of your heart.
“At first I was told not to worry about it as they are so slow growing they are almost benign nut then a year later I noticed my voice wasn’t working properly.
“I was worried that my singing career might be over – I was really quite scared.
“A lot of the nerves that given the larynx govern the same area.”
Lesley went back for a second visit and it was then decided that the tumour should be removed.
She added: “So, I went back and they scanned me. During that yeat since my I still visit, they had reclassified the tumour and changed the advice. They thought I should
have it removed.”