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Florence Welch in Budapest this month
Florence Welch in Budapest this month. She said she would return but ‘maybe not jumping so much’. Photograph: Joseph Okpako/WireImage
Florence Welch in Budapest this month. She said she would return but ‘maybe not jumping so much’. Photograph: Joseph Okpako/WireImage

Florence Welch reveals she had life-saving emergency surgery

This article is more than 8 months old

Florence + the Machine singer cancelled European festival gigs but vows to make final dates of tour

Florence Welch has revealed she had life-saving emergency surgery after having to cancel performances.

The lead singer of Florence + the Machine recently announced she had cancelled gigs at the Zurich Openair and Rock en Seine festivals. In November last year she ended the band’s UK tour after breaking her foot on stage.

On Sunday the 36-year-old posted on Instagram to say she had had surgery that had “saved her life”.

“I’m so sorry that I had to cancel the last couple of shows. My feet are fine, I had to have emergency surgery for reasons I don’t really feel strong enough to go into yet, but it saved my life,” the post said.

“And I will be back to close out the Dance Fever tour in Lisbon and Malaga (maybe not jumping so much but you can do that for me).”

The Dance Fever tour dates are in September.

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Welch said: “Suffice to say I wish the songs were less accurate in their predictions. But creativity is a way of coping, mythology is way of making sense. And the dark fairytale of Dance Fever, with all its strange prophecies, will provide me with much-needed strength and catharsis right now.”

In November 2022 the band postponed the remaining dates on their UK tour after Welch discovered she was performing on a broken foot.

The singer, famous for hits such as Shake It Out and Dog Days Are Over, wrote in an Instagram post: “I’m so sorry to say that after an X-ray it seems I was dancing on a broken foot last night.

“It is not in my nature to postpone a show, and certainly not a UK tour, but I’m in pain and, as dancers know, dancing on an injury is not a good idea. And have been told not to perform to avoid further damage.”

The album Dance Fever came out in 2022 and went to No 1 in the official UK chart.

Including Dance Fever, the band has had four UK No 1 albums, the others being Lungs (2009), Ceremonials (2011) and How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015).

More on this story

More on this story

  • Florence Welch cancels UK tour after breaking foot on stage

  • Florence + the Machine review – athletic feats and eerie rock’n’roll

  • Florence Welch: ‘Who am I kidding? I’m a showboat!’

  • Florence + the Machine: Dance Fever review – Florence Welch exorcises her demons

  • Florence + the Machine’s 20 best songs – ranked!

  • Florence Welch to adapt The Great Gatsby for Broadway musical

  • 'We were sad of getting old': how pop stars are growing up gracefully

  • Useless Magic: Lyrics and Poetry by Florence Welch – review

  • Florence Welch: ‘I wonder sometimes, did I dream too big?’

  • Florence + the Machine review – gung-ho diva has OTT down to a T

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