Fatboy Silm has endured a "traumatic year" following the collapse of his marriage.
The 53-year-old DJ – whose real name is Norman Cook – split from TV personality Zoe Ball in September 2016 after spending 18 years together, but Norman claims he’s using music as his "escapism" from his personal troubles.
He shared: "My music and shows have always been about escapism, for people to forget about what’s wrong in their life.
"I’ve done it for 30 years but, because my life was really happy, I was providing that escapism for the crowds. And now they’re providing that escapism for me.
"Having hit a traumatic year, for those two hours when I’m on stage I forget all my worries and I feel like I can escape."
But the ‘Praise You’ hitmaker admitted the emotional turmoil has made him a better musician and has forced him back into the recording studio.
He told the Daily Star newspaper: "A lot of people have been telling me: ‘You’re on fire in your shows! The worse your personal life gets, the better your DJing gets.’ It’s because I’m letting off steam.
"I’ve made three new Fatboy Slim songs lately, and that’s 300 percent more than I’d made in a few years."
Norman – who has two children, 16-year-old Woody and Nelly, seven, with Zoe – revealed he has had more time to focus on his music since the end of his marriage.
He explained: "Because of my marital situation, I have a lot more time on my hands.
"Practically, I see less of the kids than I used to, so I have more time to make music.
"A lot of the creative periods in people’s life are during times of turmoil and heartache."
But asked if he’d swap his current creativity levels for personal happiness, Norman replied: "I would, yeah. But these things have happened, so."
Fatboy Silm admits split from Zoe Ball was ‘traumatic’
