Brandon Flowers cancelled a tour because his wife was suicidal.
The Killers frontman pulled out of a string of solo concerts in August 2015 and he has now revealed it was because his spouse Tana was in the grip of an extreme form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), known as Complex PTSD, and she needed his support.
He said: "I cancelled that tour, because she got to a point – this is really hard for me to even say the words – but she was having suicidal thoughts. That was as bad as it got."
The ‘Man’ singer admits he and his spouse – who have sons Ammon, Gunnar and Henry together – have been through a "horrible" time and wouldn’t have "made it" if Tana hadn’t sought treatment.
He said: "It’s been… wild. It’s been horrible…
"What separates Complex PTSD from other forms is that it involves multiple traumatic events.
"It’s not just one thing that triggers it. There are so many things that have happened to her. I didn’t understand it before. And no way would we have made it without her getting help."
As a result of Tana’s struggles, the family are moving away from Las Vegas to Utah, where Brandon spent much of his childhood.
He explained to Q magazine: "The whole town in tainted for her. I’ve got these streets and areas that I’m nostalgic about. But to her it might remind her of something different that triggers [her illness]. So I’m leaving my town because it’s going to be better for her.
"It’s bittersweet. But I also have great memories of being a kid in Utah. There’s a little bit more freedom there, so I’m excited. I’m looking forward to the snow with my kids and bringing home our first Christmas tree."
Much of The Killers’ new album, ‘Wonderful Wonderful’, was inspired by Tana’s condition, and though she was initially reluctant to have her problems made public, the 36-year-old singer believes the record has brought them closer together.
He shared: "It helped me understand what she was going through because I could put words to it, wrap my head around it and really navigate it. A lot of relationships fall apart when these things happen. As a songwriter, I had to dissect it."
Brandon Flowers: I cancelled a tour because my wife was suicidal
