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John Barrowman was ‘humbled’ by support received after flashing claims-Rachel Corcoran-Entertainment – Metro
The star suffered depression following flashing allegations made against him.
John Barrowman will be heading out on tour later this month (Picture: Getty Images/Metro.co.uk)
Actor John Barrowman, 55, talks about his mental health struggles, his new album and never saying no to Doctor Who.
How’s life in Palm Springs?
There are the mountains and the swimming pool. I can’t complain. We’ve been here off and on for eight years, since when I started working on Arrow. It’s much easier to fly from here to Vancouver, where it was filmed, rather than from LA. It was always the plan that my husband Scott [Gill] and I had if I landed a job over here that was going to be for a long time. So when I got the job, I said, ‘It’s time to enact the plan!’
Are you in the UK much?
I come back when needed. I recorded my new album between London and Cardiff. And Scott goes over every three months to see his mum and dad, so we work it out. I was on one of the last flights out of the UK at the beginning of lockdown and midway through the flight they announced that American airspace had just been shut down, so we might have to turn back.
We were already over northern Canada. Scott was in Palm Springs so if they’d done that, I would have had to have gone back to our flat in Cardiff.
Are you excited about your new album, Centre Stage?
This is what I’d call my quintessential musical theatre album. It’s not just songs from shows I was in, the concept is the journey of my musical theatre career.
Corner Of The Sky was my go-to song when I was auditioning for shows back in 1989-91. There’s Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory was the first book I ever read so it takes me back to the love of adventure and imagination. There’s a booklet that comes with it telling the stories behind the songs.
John goes back to his roots when chatting with fellow Scots like Lorraine Kelly (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Did it make you very reflective?
There are tears shed when you sing certain songs. I wanted to do something different to what I’d sung before and friends of ours were visiting and suggested It All Fades Away from the musical Bridges Of Madison County. I’d never heard it and I fell in love with it. When I was recording it I got a feeling to go back to my Scottish roots and sing in my Scottish brogue that everybody always seems to be amazed at when I speak with Lorraine Kelly or any other Scottish person.
When I played it for my mum and dad, my mum was streaming in tears because it reminds her of her mother, Mern. I was in my car at the time and on the sat nav map, it showed a road called Mern Place. I had chills.
You said on Instagram you’ve battled with depression since the flashing allegations…
The amount of posts I got in response was incredible [last year he admitted to exposing himself while filming Torchwood and Doctor Who]. I just thought, I’m just going to chat about it and, like everything, I want to make it a positive thing when you talk about something.
I got so much support and also people telling me their own stories of how what I do has helped them, which is humbling. Like everybody, when you have a problem, it’s good to talk to about it. And if that doesn’t help, then it’s good to take advice from a physician, if you need to go on medication. But then when you feel the time is right, like I did, I talked with the doctor and came off it.
I’m feeling fine, knock on wood.
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Music is good therapy too…
I had good therapy sessions with my producer, during the entire making of the album. If you think you have a voice, sing. If you don’t think you have a voice, sing. Because singing releases something in you. I’m always wary of people who say they hate musicals. Who doesn’t like singing and hearing music?
John’s roles in Doctor Who and Torchwood made him a household name (Picture: BBC Studios/James Pardon)
With Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole in Torchwood (Picture: BBC/James Pardon)
Captain Jack Harkness was a life-changing role for you…
Captain Jack made me a household name and I met so many wonderful people through Doctor Who. It gave me Torchwood, which was one of the most successful Doctor Who spin-offs ever. That took me to the States to film it there, which then led to Desperate Housewives because its writer, Marc Cherry, was a huge Torchwood fan. And then came Arrow because the producers were fans, too. So I do not look back at all on that period with any disdain or upset.
David Tennant has returned as Doctor Who (Picture: BBC Studios/PA Wire)
What about David Tennant going back to Doctor Who?
There was Twitter controversy as to who was going to appear, whether it was David or Ncuti Gatwa [the new Doctor]. Whoever it was going to be, the one thing we Whovians do is go on the Tardis for the story and the excitement of where we’re taken by the Doctor.
So it doesn’t matter who the Doctor is, we’re there for the journey.
Any chance you’ll be back in Doctor Who?
Well, if they asked me, I would at the drop of a hat. When I was asked to do it again with Jodie Whittaker, I was finishing a tour and the costume had to be let out just a little bit! We were staying at the St David’s hotel in Cardiff in the same room Scott and I stayed in the night of our civil partnership. I had the fitting at the window, which looked across the building where we have our flat, but also to the bay to where we call the Torchwood Tower.
The excitement never leaves me for that show.
Centre Stage by John Barrowman is released on Nov 11. His UK tour begins next Feb
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