Lewis Capaldi Recalls Terrifying ‘Mental Episode’ That Left Him ‘Convulsing’ Backstage Mid-Concert

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Lewis Capaldi has come a long way since he started working on his mental health a couple of years ago, with the Scottish singer-songwriter revealing that he once had a “mental episode” that left him “convulsing” backstage at a show.

While guesting on the Tuesday (July 15) episode of Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast, Capaldi reflected on the tough moments in his career that forced him to confront the fact that he needed help. The musician made headlines in 2023 when he struggled to get through his Glastonbury set that year, but shortly before that happened, he says he had an incident at a concert in Chicago that was “even worse.”

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“I couldn’t come back on stage and finish the song,” Capaldi told Von of performing in the Windy City. “I was like, backstage, convulsing and having this crazy panic attack, mental episode.It was really, really bad. It was the first time people at my shows had seen it.”

The musician has been open about dealing with mental health issues as well as Tourette’s, a disorder that causes difficult-to-control movements and sounds known as tics. In April 2023, Capaldi revealed that his struggles with Tourette’s were becoming so severe, he was considering stepping back from music.

After his onstage breakdown at Glastonbury two months later, Capaldi did just that. Immediately after stepping off stage at the festival — where fans had helped him get through his set by loudly singing the words for him — the artist knew it would be his last show until he got some help, he told Von.

“When it happened and when it was happening, it was, like, the lowest moment of my life, and it was horrible,” he recalled on the podcast of Glastonbury 2023. “I had this moment where I was on stage like two, three songs in. I was like, ‘This is the last time I’m going to play a gig for a long time. I need to try and get through the rest of the show, but when I come off, I’m done.'”

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Capaldi is now back and better than ever before after spending the past two years reconnecting with himself, with the star telling Von that therapy and exercise have helped him immensely. This past June, he made a triumphant return to Glastonbury with a surprise set, shortly after which he announced that he’d be donating 734,000 hours of free virtual therapy with BetterHelp inspired by his own mental health journey.

While speaking to Von, he gushed that this year’s Glastonbury performance was a “bit of a comeback moment.”

“It was lovely,” he added. “It was a really special moment.”

Watch Capaldi’s full conversation with Von below.

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