Engelbert Humperdinck says he tied up a nurse during tuberculosis sanatorium stay after painful treatment
Legendary Singer Engelbert Humperdinck Recounts Harrowing 1960s Hospital Stay and Early Career Milestones
In a recent episode of his own podcast, the 90‑year‑old British pop star Arnold George Dorsey—better known as Engelbert Humperdinck—opened up about a painful chapter of his life that few fans have heard before. The singer recounted the time he spent in a Leicester sanatorium in 1961 after being diagnosed with tuberculosis, offering a stark glimpse into the harsh medical practices of the era.
Humperdinck described his treatment as “a hellish routine.” He explained that he was required to lie flat on his back for about eight weeks, unable to sit up or move around. Daily, he received a large needle injection in the buttocks—a painful procedure that left him with bruises and a lingering fear of the nurse who administered it. “I used to scream at her and I used to ask for somebody else,” the singer recalled. “They wouldn't give me anybody else, but this lady was very bad, and she really hurt, and I had big blue marks.”
The singer went on to detail a dramatic act of revenge. After he felt the injections were cruel, he devised a plan with a fellow patient to tie up the nurse with rope. “When the nurse came around in the morning, I got the nurse, grabbed her, tied her hands behind the back, put her in the empty bed next to us, covered her up,” Humperdinck said. When a doctor later walked by, the singer claimed the physician ignored the situation and simply moved past. “I was in trouble,” he admitted, “but I never let her give me another injection. They had a male nurse come and do it for me, and it was much better.”
Humperdinck’s stay at Groby Road Hospital lasted six months, beginning after he began coughing up blood during a concert in Manchester. Initially misdiagnosed with a “bad throat infection,” his mother insisted on an X‑ray after seeing the blood. An hour after the imaging, he was told he had tuberculosis and was packed into the sanatorium.
After his recovery, Humperdinck reflected on his mother’s presence. “Eight weeks later, when I became negative from this disease, my mother visited and I said, ‘Mom, is this place a great place?’ She said, ‘Son, he was giving you the last rites.’ Apparently I had three days.”
Beyond the health ordeal, the singer highlighted his meteoric rise to fame. In 1967, his single “Release Me” topped the UK charts, propelling him to international stardom. Over the decades, Humperdinck has sold more than 140 million records worldwide, earned four Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe for entertainer of the year, and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The interview, part of Humperdinck’s “The Engelbert Humperdinck Show,” offers a candid look at a lesser‑known period of the singer’s life. The former “bad throat infection” that led to a six‑month sanatorium stay, the violent injections, and his bold retaliation all paint a picture of resilience. Meanwhile, his early‑career triumphs—underscored by chart‑topping hits and industry accolades—remain a testament to the longevity of his talent.