He was propelled to global stardom nearly 30 years ago when he created the Irish dancing extravaganza Riverdance.
But Michael Flatley has revealed his ‘neck and back are in a bad way’ and detailed how his body is paying the price for the punishment he put it through.
The Lord Of The Dance star, 63, also said that you have to ‘make a friend of pain in the dance business’, but believes he ‘made the right decision’.
Battered: Michael Flatley has revealed his ‘neck and back are in a bad way’ and detailed how his body is paying the price for the punishment he put it through
‘The doctors warned me but I didn’t listen. Now my neck and my back are in a bad way,’ Michael told the Mirror.
He continued: ‘I wouldn’t trade it. I followed my dream. I wouldn’t have any of this if I didn’t follow my dream.
‘You have to make a friend of pain, especially in the dance business, and even though I wake up and struggle to straighten my back every morning, I can honestly say I’ve made the right decision.
‘Can I run for a bus now? Unlikely. Can I scale a flight of stairs? Yes, I just need a lot more runway to get warmed up.’
Lord Of the Dance: The Lord Of The Dance star, 63, also said that you have to ‘make a friend of pain in the dance business’, but believes he ‘made the right decision’ (pictured in 2001)
Pain: Michael said: ‘The doctors warned me but I didn’t listen. Now my neck and my back are in a bad way’
In 1989 he entered the Guinness Book Of Records for possessing the fastest feet (once insured for a reported £25million) in the world, tapping 28 times per second. He later bettered that, managing 35 taps.
Hot on the heels of Riverdance, which he had left within a year after a row over royalties, he created Lord Of The Dance, which opened in Dublin in 1996.
He then toured the world, playing to 60 million people in 60 countries and becoming one of the most successful dance shows ever (in 1997 alone Michael earned £36million).
Tap: In 1989 he entered the Guinness Book Of Records for possessing the fastest feet in the world, tapping 28 times per second. He later bettered that, managing 35 taps (pictured in 2015)
In 2006 he wed former dancer Niamh O’Brien there; it was his second marriage and produced his son Michael Junior, 14.
Growing up in a Catholic household Michael’s passion was always Irish dance, and he too was a flautist who performed with Grammy-winning Irish folk band The Chieftains.
When they turned down his plea to join the group full-time, he went off in a huff to seek his own spotlight, and says he ‘didn’t make a penny’ until he was 35.
Keep on dancing: In 2006 he wed former dancer Niamh O’Brien there; it was his second marriage and produced his son Michael Junior, 14
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