Danny O’Donoghue has opened up about coping with the loss of mother – who sadly passed away earlier this year.
The front man of popular Irish band The Script lost his mother Ailish suddenly to a brain aneurysm as well as going through a break up from long term girlfriend, Anne de Paula – and says he has come out on the other side of heartbreak.
“We’ve had a very tough year, I had a break up last year, my mum passed away in February,” the 39-year-old told The Irish Sun.
“It’s been an incredibly hard year for us all, but out of that heartbreak and heartache can only come good for me as an artist.
“To be honest, I’ve never felt better now, I feel like I’m leaner than I have ever been and, more so, my mind is lean,” he explained. I’ve cut all the fat out of my mind, I’ve cut out all the s*** out of my life.”
Danny, who was formally part of the judging panel on The Voice UK, says he turned to the Thai boxing sport known as Muay Thai, and reveals it was a big help in handling his grief.
“I needed something because if I didn’t go in kicking and punching pads, I would do it to someone or something that day. I mean metaphorically, not physically,” he said.
“If you don’t have something that you get in there and take it out on, you’ll take it out on people and things throughout the day and I didn’t realise how much pent-up emotion and aggression I had until I went in and hit the pads.
“When I’d go in to train, it was kind of like, ‘Holy s***, I’ve got a lot going on today’. Muay Thai seems to have had a regenerative effect on me, I’ve never felt better.”
The changes in Danny’s life also led to him taking a step back when it comes to sharing his private life.
He said: “I went private on social media because none of that matters. We’re part of the problem because the band needs it but to fall into it like it’s the be all and end all is never a good idea.”
“I even see it with my relations, I see problems all the time. It’s all like, ‘You were on their page or you’re accepting her as a friend and you’re not accepting me’ — that’s all pretend.
“I want to feel something real. If I’m getting all those likes, why am I not happy? Check list: how many people on Instagram? Seven and a half million on Instagram, yep. Check, hit singles. But does any of that make you happy?”
“Not in the slightest. I think the illusion of having what everyone else has means you think you’re happy then. Like, ‘Oh I have the car I’ve always aspired to, I have the job I’ve always aspired to.’ None of that makes you happy.”
