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Legendary chart topper Tony Hadley is looking fit as a fiddle and sounding better than ever as he undertakes his current tour dates and prepares for his upcoming Christmas Big Band shows. However, speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, the 65-year-old admitted that until recently, he was limping and he hadn't been able to do any physical exercise for years.

"I've got a brand new knee, so I'm not limping anymore. I had a knee replacement just after the last swing tour," he revealed. Reflecting on his recovery, he said: "It was pretty quick. I'm back in the gym now, which is great. I haven't been able to do any training for three and a half years. I've had various problems, and so now I'm lucky, I've got a gym at home, so I'm in the gym. I'm walking across fields and things like that, and I'm doing pretty good," he said.

He continued: "I mean, it takes about a year to get back to normal. But no, I'm feeling very positive." Fans will also be relieved to hear the star, who became a grandad in May last year when daughter Toni, 40, welcomed son Freddie-Floyd, has no intention of slowing down.

"I'm trying to be a bit more savvy in terms of how many gigs I take per year," he said, admitting he was away a lot when his older children were young after finding huge fame singing with Spandau Ballet.

"Rather than working relentlessly, I'm taking it a little bit easier. But I'm not retiring. I'm never going to retire," he insisted with a laugh. "If my voice works, then I'll be singing."

Currently honouring his summer gig commitments, Tony is also preparing for some very special shows later this year with his upcoming festive shows, which build on the success of a similar tour last year.

"I love the whole big band swing thing, and it went down so well, I decided to do it again. This time, we're going to add a few more Christmas songs, because we only did a few Christmas songs last year.

"I've been doing my research, Tony Bennett, Jack Jones, Ella Fitzgerald... and there are a few cracking Christmas songs. Obviously, Frank Sinatra I'd like to do too," he explained.

"We're creating the arrangement for them or using the original arrangement, so it'll be pretty much a whole new show with a few of the classics that we did last year. We've got a whole new set of classics again, and it's very exciting."

Tony Hadley's 19-date Christmas Big Band Tour 2026 begins on November 7. Tickets are available here.