Just two days before the Britain’s Got Talent final and arguably one of the biggest nights of his life, Tom Ball was rushed to hospital because of his type 1 diabetes – a condition that has seen him in and out of hospital since he was eight years old.
The secondary school teacher turned singing sensation has since been fitted with a new technology to help manage his diabetes which will soon be offered to other type 1 sufferers across the UK.
Tom, 26, who hails from West Sussex, near Brighton – and married his fiancée back in November 2022 – stole the hearts of the nation when he took to the stage in 2022 to audition for Britain’s Got Talent. During his performance, he blew the audience away with his rendition of Sam Smith’s Writing’s On The Wall and received a standing ovation.
The singing sensation has been able to manage his type 1 diabetes easier with the new technology
The singer made it all the way through to the BGT final, but just two days before was rushed to hospital with “dangerously high keytones levels”. Speaking exclusively to OK! Tom said: “Two days before the final of BGT, my readings went so dangerously high, that a toxin started to release in my body, you might be able to deal with that at home but I needed to go into A&E.
“They managed to get them under control quite quickly, but it was still needed for additional support.”
He continued: “When you end up going to hospital, for anyone, for any other reason, they’ll say it takes a while to get over that trip, to feel right again, and to feel normal.
“I had two days to really get in gear, to go back onto TV and try not to let it affect my performance and moment in the final.” Reflecting back on that time, Tom told us: “I remember sitting in bed with my wife thinking, ‘I need this to be better because I’m going back on to TV in two days’.
“Diabetes is a relentless condition, everyday has its challenges and this can become extremely mentally draining.”
After his readings had “settled” following his visit to hospital Tom said he was able to put it to “the back of his mind” so he could focus on the BGT final. “I can honestly say, while I was there doing the final, I don’t think I thought about my trip to hospital, because I don’t think I could let myself, otherwise it would be too much think about it”, the 26 year old added.
But this isn’t the first time Tom has ended up in hospital due to his diabetes, as he said: “I think in my lifespan I’ve probably been about eight or nine times in total, I’ve had to go to A&E – you kind of, at some points come to accept that that might happen and that’s a possibility.
“You tackle those moments when they come and so maybe I was a bit desensitized to that situation and it’s only upon reflection when you sit there and go, yeah that was a lot to deal with, but I don’t think at the time I really appreciated that.”
Tom during the semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent
(Image: Dymond/Thames/REX/Shutterstock)
In a bid to manage his diabetes more easily and to avoid future hospital visits, Tom has been fitted with a new technology, called an artificial pancreas, to help manage his condition. Tom said the gadget has “completely changed his life”, from being able to secure life insurance to sleeping all the way through.
Although Tom admitted to being nervous about “turning it on at first”, but said: “I’m so pleased I did turn it on, it’s been absolutely life-changing.” The artificial pancreas means something Tom had to do manually before, which involved injecting himself with insulin every hour or two, is now done automatically.
“It gives it much greater and precise control and is something less for me to manually or consistently think about”, Tom shared.
“When we turned it on, it was probably one of the first times I’ve managed to sleep through the night without having to wake up and check my readings. You get better sleep because even overnight, the technology is an assistant that’s looking after you 24 hours a day.”
Singing sensation Tom Ball shot to fame on Britain’s Got Talent in 2022
(Image: Dymond/Thames/REX/Shutterstock)
He added: “Before I struggled to get life insurance – now I can!” When asked if he would have ended up in the hospital if he’d had the artificial pancreas fitted during his time on BGT, Tom replied: “I don’t think so, I think I would have had better control because for multiple reasons my readings went high.
“One was a leaky needle, but this basically means insulin wasn’t going in and I wasn’t aware of that so that was never going to change, but the pump I’m currently on alarms when I have a leaky needle so I think I would have been more aware of it and therefore could have done something about it sooner and prevented potentially the bad readings as I did.”
Last month, it was announced that people who suffer from type 1 diabetes will be offered the new technology, an artificial pancreas, which Tom has fitted to help manage their condition. It could take up to five years before everyone eligible could have the opportunity to have one but it could be a “game-changer” as Tom said for thousands of type 1 diabetes sufferers.
Tom’s debut album Curtain Call is released Friday, 24 May, Britain’s Got Talent is on ITV1 and ITVX on Saturday, 18 May at 7.30pm
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