James Bourne, the 42-year-old Busted singer, has made a rare public outing amid his mystery illness. The musician, known for hits like "What I Go To School For" and "Year 3000," had to quit the band's tour with McFly last year and has since been largely out of the spotlight.
Seen with friends in Scarborough
On Monday, a social media post showed Bourne enjoying time with friends. Guitarist Tommy Henriksen, who works with Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp's supergroup Hollywood Vampires, shared a snap on his Instagram Story after the band played in Scarborough over the weekend. The caption read: "My UK friends."
In the photo, Bourne appeared in good spirits, wearing a white T-shirt and a black hoodie slung over his shoulder. He has not disclosed the exact nature of his illness but previously said he had undergone surgery to extend his life.
Health update and surgery plans
Towards the end of last month, Bourne shared a rare update on social media, thanking fans for their ongoing support. He wrote: "As I'm taking a break from the gram, I'll be posting an update soon about what's going on with my health in my Spotify bio. It's a long story. Still not out of the woods yet. Thanks for your support and patience."
In a previous statement on his Instagram Stories, he explained: "I realised it's been about six months since I posted last. I have a plan in place to have a major surgery that should extend my life and hopefully make me well enough to come back to what I love the most, which is touring and making music. It really sucks to be out of the game. But there is hope!"
Tour withdrawal and future hopes
Bourne shocked fans when he announced he'd be stepping down from the McFly Vs Busted tour last year due to poor health. At the time, he said: "The VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as l've been all year for this tour to begin, I'm really sorry to say that over the last 8 days it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows. There's a lot of information I still don't have about my condition but my bandmates, management and I are unanimous in deciding that I should focus on the medical stuff for now."
He added: "I really hope I can be in a position to come back further down the line. It's still going to be an amazing show and I will miss being there! See you all as soon as possible."
