Busted co-founder James Bourne has revealed he is preparing for major surgery that he hopes will extend his life and allow him to return to music. The 42-year-old guitarist and songwriter shared the update on Instagram after a six-month absence from social media.
Bourne was forced to withdraw from Busted's 2025 tour with McFly at the last minute due to illness, with his younger brother Chris stepping in. Bandmates had previously told audiences that Bourne was 'really sick'.
In his Instagram post, Bourne wrote: 'I have a plan in place to have 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.'
Bourne grew up in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, where he met future Busted bandmate Matt Willis. The pair began writing together, inspired by Blink-182 and BBMak, and formed Busted in 2002 with Charlie Simpson. The band scored four number one singles before splitting in 2005, later reforming in 2016.
Bourne had previously written online about his health issues, saying he hoped to return to the stage 'further down the line'. The exact nature of his condition has not been disclosed.
