Danny O’Donoghue has revealed that the past year has been “very tough” for him, following the death of his beloved mum Ailish.
The Script frontman sadly lost his mother after she suffered a brain aneurysm in February.
And not long before that, the 39-year-old also split from his Brazilian model girlfriend Anne de Paula.
Speaking to the Irish Sun, Danny said: “We’ve had a very tough year, I had a break up last year, my mum passed away in February.”
“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.”
The singer also revealed that he took up Muay Thai, which has really helped him deal with the loss of his mother.
“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.”
While making changes to his lifestyle, Danny also cut down on his social media use.
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,” he said.
The Script are set to release their sixth studio album next month, called ‘Sunsets and Full Moons’, which will be their most personal record to date.
Danny explained: “I kind of feel if our last album was a departure from what we normally do, we’ve just come straight home again with this album.”
“This year, we’ve all been through really tough personal situations, and I think it really centred us back to what was really important about The Script.
“It’s about being honest and being emotional. I’m really proud of the band for being able to get through it but also to come out with a body of work that we’re really proud of. We’re looking inward for this album.”
Listen to this week’s Gosscast; where Goss.ie Founder Ali Ryan and Editor Kendra Becker are, of course, breaking down all the details of the Coleen Rooney v Rebekah Vardy drama.
Plus the girls are talking about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s war against the media, are they getting into dangerous territory?
