Lucy Spraggan has done her best to hold back tears when announcing the cancellation of upcoming shows.
In 2012, the then 20-year-old appeared on X Factor, getting through the audition, boot camp and judge’s house stages before withdrawing from the competition four weeks into the live shows, citing illness.
It was years later, in 2023, that she finally revealed the real reason for her exit – sharing the shocking story of how she’d been sexually assaulted during a night out with the cast and crew.
Lucy’s harrowing experience was shared in her autobiography Process, which was followed by her seventh studio album, Balance, the next month. This week she released her album Other Sides of the Moon.
But while promoting her new release, Lucy has been left devastated after falling ill.
Sharing a video on Instagram, the 33-year-old fought back tears while saying: ‘This is absolutely the last message I wanted to be putting out.
‘I woke up yesterday not feeling well, and today woke up feeling even worse and we’ve had to make the decision to reschedule the outstore shows this week.
‘Because my throat feels like it’s got razor blades in it and my nose is completely blocked.
‘Not just that it doesn’t feel responsible to be meeting with you guys to be signing things and hugging you and saying thank you because I don’t want you to feel this way either.’
Lucy went on: ‘I’m so grateful to every single person who has pre-ordered an album.’
She then choked up at the prospect of ‘letting people down.’
After explaining she would reschedule the shows, Lucy finished the video by saying: ‘I’m really sorry to anyone that was coming to London, Leeds, Liverpool and Glasgow – I really really hope I’ll get to see you when I do these shows soon.’
She then confirmed they would be rescheduled to August.
Despite Lucy’s concerns she was letting fans down, many rushed to offer their support.
‘Oh Luce, so sorry to hear this. You are what’s most important. Get well soon,’ Rach commented on Instagram.
‘Oh Lucy!! We love you, all we care about is your health. Get better soon and don’t beat yourself up. We love you!!!’ Maxine shared.
‘You’re not letting anyone down Lucy. You can’t help being ill. Always prioritise your health. We all appreciate you so much, how much you always go above and beyond for your fans. Hope you feel better soon,’ Kirsty added.
Lucy had been due to kick off her shows at the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool tomorrow.
This morning, she went on to share another post thanking people for their support.
‘This week did not go the way I had planned. It’s the first week my brand-new album is out, arguably the most important week to be scrambling around playing shows, encouraging people to listen to it, to buy it, to tell their friends all about it and I’m sitting at home in bed feeling the worst I’ve felt in a long time,’ she began.
‘I’ve tried to ask what the universe could possibly be doing?! I’ve cried a lot and queried how this could at all be part of the plan for the bigger and better picture, I implicitly trust that what is for me will not pass me by so, HOW?! And, I almost got stuck there for a sec.
‘But. And a big but…yesterday I put a video out to say I wasn’t going to be able to do the shows. I was very emotional because the idea of letting so many people down (people that have made plans and spent time, money and energy on getting to the shows) made me feel so, so upset. The OUTPOURING of love and positivity I received from you has been an absolute glimmer in a really rough time. Your words matter so much. More than you could possibly know.’
Although Lucy said yesterday was ‘a really dark time in the house’, she was thankful for ‘such a gift with your words of love’. She then thanked fans for their ‘patience, understanding and kindness’.
Admitting it was ‘harder to promote’ her album from bed, her fans had proved she ‘already had everything I need’.
Lucy’s latest release is a mix of new songs and reimagined fan favourites from past albums.
Speaking to Pink News about the record, she explained: ‘I have this perspective on the past that it’s such a big part of your present [so] it was really nice to go back and dig around in [my discography] and cultivate it to be what I always wanted it to be.’
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