Crock ’N Roll Star... Oasis’s Liam needs a new hip at age 49
LIAM Gallagher needs a hip replacement – but would rather roll with it and ask his partner to wheel him about.
The former Oasis frontman, who has arthritis due to a thyroid problem, admitted he would prefer “being in pain” to maintain the mirage of youth, than suffering the “stigma” of the operation.
The 49-year-old Rock N’ Roll Star singer said he would opt for Debbie Gwyther pushing him in a wheelchair instead.
Liam added that he has to take herbal sleeping tablets to nod off and can no longer jog on Hampstead Heath.
He told Mojo magazine: “I’ve got arthritis, bad. I went to get it checked and my bones are mashed up.
“The lady was going, ‘You might need a hip operation, a replacement’ – no way. ‘It’s not as bad as you think, the recovery will be two months.’
“You’re all right... I think I’d rather just be in pain – which is ridiculous, obviously. I know that; just get them fixed.
“But it’s also the stigma, saying you’ve had your hips replaced...
What’s next?”
The dad of four confessed the “one in a million” chance he might die during the operation was enough to make him rather use a wheelchair.
He added: “I’d be able to do it all after the op.
“I’d be like [dancer] Louie Spence, throwing my leg over my shoulder while playing the flute. I don’t mind a little pain. Keeps you on your toes.
“Pain is OK. I’m definitely on the downwards slide, though... got the old thyroid. When the weather’s cold my hips are like snap, crackle and pop... I need warmth.
“I can’t sleep at night for the pain, tossing and turning.
“So I’m on the herbal sleeping tablets and they’ve saved my life.
“One of them: seven hours out – no pain, nothing. No, no... I can’t [have the replacement]. Just the thought... They have to break your hips.
“I asked the lady what the downside was: ‘You might die in surgery. It’s a one in a million chance.’ I’m not going to crisp it having my hip cracked, thank you. I’d rather be in a wheelchair, with Debbie pushing me.”
Liam and brother Noel, 54, shot to fame in the 90s with Oasis, which became the biggest rock band in the world.
The group split after a Paris bust-up in 2009. This summer Liam will headline two sell-out shows at Knebworth Park, Herts on June 3 and 4.
LIAM Gallagher’s admission that he may need a hip replacement is a reminder that even relatively young demi-gods of rock and roll can suffer the agony of arthritis.
We wish the former Oasis frontman the very best for a truly supersonic recovery.