My sex life is on hold after major surgery, says Olly Murs as he breaks silence on emergency op after cancelling tour

BEING forced to cancel a sold-out tour due to a knee op and spending six months with his feet up might cause some pop stars to slump into despair.

But cheeky chappie Olly Murs admits there are some perks to his plight after his stunning girlfriend Amelia Tank stepped in to nurse him through his pain.

In an exclusive interview about his trauma, Olly jokes that while he can’t play his beloved football and his sex life is on hold — he does at least  get breakfast in bed.

But on the flip side the 37-year-old has been forced to take a ribbing from pal Sir Tom Jones — his co-star on The Voice UK and who is more than twice his age at 81 — who quips that he is in better shape.

Putting on a brave face despite several days in hospital and an intensive course of painkillers,  Olly jokes: “Amelia’s fully invested in looking after me for these next 24 weeks . . .  at least I think she is!”

He adds: “It certainly makes it easier. When I had my first operation a while back she lived in her own place.

“I was on my own going through it that time and the other day she said to me, ‘God, I can’t remember it being this bad last time’. I said, ‘Yeah, you weren’t bloody here!’

‘Amelia is my light’

“But yeah, the reality is that I absolutely cat-fished her, she thought she was getting with a young pop star and now she’s looking after me.

“But really she is my comfort blanket, my positivity, my light, my everything. She makes me happy every day. She helps me see the light in everything.”

The latest health setback from his recurring knee trouble has left him once again in agony and fearing long-term damage, but Olly hasn’t lost his sense of humour.

After joking that he isn’t up to much romance at the moment thanks to the injury, he adds: “Things are going really well, but it’s Amelia’s 30th is coming up so, if anything, I’m annoyed and upset that this has all happened now, as I really want her to have the best time.

“She’s going to have a party but I will be sat in the corner with my crutches, but we know where our future lies together and we’re carrying on with this path, which we love.”

Olly’s knee has caused him years of discomfort, hampered his ability to play footie and exercise with Amelia, a striking fitness enthusiast and bikini model who has helped him to get into the best shape of his life.

And despite the heartbreak of cancelling a nationwide arena tour, the singer and presenter recognised he had to heed doctors’ warnings and go under the knife or risk potentially irreparable damage.

Olly explains: “It has been a difficult couple of years with my leg. But  I’ve been very lucky, because I’ve had 12 amazing years in my career. But I want another 12 amazing years. I want to be able to do more shows, more tours, more TV, I want to be a parent.

“Ultimately, if I don’t get this done I will suffer as I get older. I could do more damage than good by trying to carry on.

“Although it is a setback and has come at a cost, I think this is the best time. It’s hard for someone who is so active, but  there are a lot worse things going on in the world.

“I did a tour last summer and obviously did some damage then. I’d had problems but I didn’t want to cancel so I had an op and went into shows.

“Basically it never got better, and I just knew as this tour approached that I wasn’t going to be able to give my fans the show I wanted to give them. When you buy a ticket to watch an artist you know what you’re getting, but this would have a watered-down show. It wouldn’t have been fair on my health or on my fans.

“I hope that this time,  if I let it recover properly, I will be back and ready to go by the end of the year, as the plan is bringing out new music.”

It has been a difficult couple of years with my leg. But I’ve been very lucky, because I’ve had 12 amazing years in my career. But I want another 12 amazing years. I want to be able to do more shows, more tours, more TV, I want to be a parent.

Olly is on our screens on ITV each Saturday evening as the host of new talent contest Starstruck, which sees pop star lookalikes competing for a cash prize. It is a move that has seen him increasingly broaden his TV career, having appeared as a coach on The Voice.

He says: “I loved doing it. The idea of hosting my own show on Saturday nights was a dream, and to do it on ITV, I love the channel — I get to sing, perform and present, it’s all me. 

“I’m always trying to convince Tom I could play him in a biopic but he has told me I have a long way to go.

“He said, ‘You’re a good-looking lad and you’ve got some hips, but you ain’t got the curly hair and my charm’.

“We’ve just finished The Voice, which comes out later this year and he goes, ‘F***ing hell Olly, I’ve just had a hip replacement and you have dodgy knees,  it’s a good job we sit in red chairs for this one’.”

Olly is also looking forward to putting out new music after leaving his label.

He says: “I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I am really excited. It was an amazing 12 years at Sony, an amazing journey.

“I have been working on music but keeping it private.  The music I’ve got I am really buzzing about.

“I’m hoping after six weeks I can start getting meetings in London, as I am just finishing the songs I think will be singles and then we will be able to speak to labels.”

• Starstruck continues tonight at 8.30pm on ITV.