KT Tunstall is "97% deaf" in one ear

KT Tunstall is "97% deaf" in one ear.

The 'Suddenly I See' hitmaker suffered a "huge shock" when she abruptly lost her hearing overnight, which she believes was due to having "overloaded [her] nervous system" by going to see the Spice girls perform shortly after a gruelling long-haul flight.

She told Britain's OK! magazine: "About 15 years ago, I took a long-haul flight and went straight to a Spice Girls concert. I’m not blaming the Spice Girls, but I think it overloaded my nervous system.

" I woke up with ringing in my ear, like I’d gone underwater. I couldn’t hear the car indicator or a shower in another room.

"Then in 2018, I went deaf in my left ear overnight. It’s called sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL).

"They don’t know why it happens. It was a huge shock. I’m 97% deaf in that ear now and can’t use a hearing aid because it’s too far gone."

But it wasn't just losing her hearing that KT found tough as it also caused "really disabling" issues with her balance, so she has taken the time to "slow down" and be "more careful" with her health.

She added: "But the worst part wasn’t the deafness, it was the vertigo. I lost my balance completely, for two or three months. That was really disabling. Thankfully it passed, and I can still write, record, perform – just in mono. I started seeing it as a message from the universe telling me to slow down, look after myself. I still tour, but I’m more careful now."

KT - who has written the songs for the new stage musical adaptation of 'Clueless' - turns 50 this year but she is "loud and proud" of her age because she wants to set a good example to other women.

She said: "I’m turning 50 this year, and it’s the 20th anniversary of 'Eye To The Telescope' . It feels like the end of a chapter and the start of a new one.

"I’m loud and proud about my age. There aren’t loads of women in their fifties in UK music, which is why I print 'KT Tunstall 1975' on my merch.

"I want younger women to know how old I am and feel empowered. I feel like I’m shutting the door on the first half of my career. Now, I’ve got this new avenue in musical theatre."