‘The X factor went o
FOR TWO YEARS WHILE JUDGING ON ITV TALENT SHOW THE X FACTOR, LOUIS WALSH SECRETLY WRESTLED WITH THE FEAR
Louis Walsh brims with his trademark joie de vivre and irrepressible humour, all delivered in his lisping Irish lilt, and it’s pretty remarkable, considering he was recently told he’s going deaf.
You’d think the diagnosis would be a crushing blow for the music mogul - the former X Factor judge (rumoured to be returning to the show) and mastermind behind multi-million selling Irish boybands, Westlife and Boyzone.
Instead, the 63-year-old describes it as “a relief in a way” to finally find out what he’d long suspected.
“I first noticed I was having trouble a couple of years ago during the live X Factor auditions in the arenas. If there was somebody singing and four panellists talking, as well as a big crowd of around 2,000 screaming and shouting behind me, I’d sometimes struggle to hear the acts or chat between the panellists,” he admits.
“On a couple of occasions, I couldn’t hear what Simon (Cowell) or Cheryl (Fernandez-Versini) were saying to me. I’d have to try to see their faces so I could lip read.”
It sounds pretty stressful, especially in front of a live audience, but typically, Walsh can’t resist lightening the moment with a joke: “Mind you, at times I did wonder if Simon had the same problem, judging by some of the acts he let through!”
Banter between the pair is an integral part of their relationship - he describes Cowell as “his best friend” - but even that didn’t prevent the showbusiness mogul making Walsh the butt of jokes.
“I was fine hearing Mel B because she has a really loud voice, but if I asked Simon or Cheryl, ‘What are you saying?’ they’d tease me and go, ‘Are you getting old, are you going deaf?’ I’d laugh too, but inside I’d be thinking, ‘If they’re right and I am, what will happen?’” he recalls.
“I just didn’t want to face it or do anything about it because there’s still a stigma about hearing loss which there definitely shouldn’t be because it’s just the same as needing glasses - but it made me feel, ‘Oh God, maybe I am getting old’.”
He eventually booked an appointment with a Specsavers audiologist who told him that years of being bombarded by loud music during concerts, shows, auditions and rehearsals, combined with normal wear and tear due to ageing had, in fact, damaged his hearing.
“Finding out what was wrong actually made me feel so much better, especially as it’s diagnosed as ‘mild’ hearing loss. It can ma hard for me to hear high freq cy sounds and conversatio noisy environments,” he says relief.
“I now realise it was, of cou even harder for me on X Facto cause I had an earpiece in one so I could listen to studio inst tions while we were filming so had only one ear for everyt else.”
Walsh says: “I’m probably l really to have as little damage have, as I’ve been in the musi dustry since I was 15. I’ve been l ally pounded by noise and com of gigs with my ears ringing or ing muffled and those effects w