Busted star James Bourne has revealed that his younger brother Chris saved his life by donating a kidney, after doctors told him he had only a few years to live.
Last year, McFly and Busted were set to tour together once again. The two bands rose to fame in the early to mid-2000s and first joined forces as McBusted in 2013, completing an arena tour the following year. However, just hours before the first show was due to begin, Bourne announced he had to step away from the tour due to ill health.
Tour withdrawal and health update
In a post at the time, Bourne explained: "The VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as I'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 :-("
He added: "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. 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."
Brother's kidney donation
On Monday, October 26, Bourne took to his X account to issue a health update. He wrote: "Health update. I’m still alive and kicking and it’s all thanks to my brother."
After urging fans to read about it on his Spotify, Bourne revealed that his brother had given him his kidney. He penned: "Wow, what the h*** happened? One minute you're heading out on tour, the next thing you know you're on the bench and out of the game."
He continued: "My condition was serious and the doctors told me I had a few years left to live. I'm happy to share now that my youngest brother, Chris, who stepped in for me on tour last year, has saved my life yet again. This time quite literally by donating me one of his kidneys."
Bourne added: "I can't believe how much better I'm starting to feel already. I'm still going to need some time, but I wanted you to know that we're both recovering from surgery just fine. My brother is a hero."
