Janet Street-Porter has given an update on her friend Sir Elton John.
The musician bravely addressed his recent health challenges while attending The Devil Wears Prada musical with husband David Furnish in London's West End. In a candid admission, the legendary musician revealed to theatregoers: "I've lost my eyesight and cannot see the stage."
He disclosed that an eye infection had robbed him of sight in his right eye, confiding in fans that his left eye was not much better, leaving him feeling "stuck" in his current predicament.
Loose Women panelist Janet Street-Porter opened up about her dear friend Elton's ordeal on the show. Recounting their conversations, she empathised: "It's very tough. He's been on the phone about it, he's called me. I think it really affected him because he suffers from glaucoma and he had one eye that was OK and another eye which is a weak eye.
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"I think the virus got him in the good eye so I think its left him with very very poor vision. It's impossible for him to read, and it's very very difficult. It's made him feel very isolated and he's a very proud person."
Acknowledging that Elton would naturally be reluctant to share such personal struggles, she continued: "He would not have wanted to share that because he wouldn't want people to pity him.
"He doesn't want our sympathy, it's a battle he's got to fight himself. Nothing we can do for him but send him our love and support. When he started telling me about it, I could see how distressed he was and it really got to me. The reason partly is because I've got glaucoma in my right eye and very very poor sight in my right eye. I could see what had happened to him and the way he sought all these different remedies and nothing has worked so far, but he's still optimistic."
Elton John opened up about his struggle with his eyesight over the weekend, explaining how it has impacted his life and career.
Addressing his audience, he said: "I've lost my eyesight and cannot see the stage. As some of you may know I have had issues and now I have lost my sight. I haven't been able to see the performance but I have enjoyed it.
"To my husband who's been my rock because I haven't been able to come to many of the previews... it's hard for me to see it but I love to hear it and it sounded good tonight OK. It's been a while since I've done anything, and well, I just have to get off my backside. I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the south of France and it's been four months now since I haven't been able to see, and my left eye is not the greatest."
He added: "So there's hope and encouragement that it will be OK, but it's... I'm kind of stuck at the moment, because I can do something like this (an interview), but going into the studio and recording, I don't know, because I can't see a lyric for a start."
*Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
