Marianne Faithfull has said the after-effects of Covid-19 mean she may never sing again.
The 74-year-old musician and former muse of Sir Mick Jagger spent three weeks in a London hospital last April being treated for coronavirus symptoms.
Faithfull told the Guardian her lungs have still not recovered and she continues to suffer from short-term memory loss and fatigue.
She said she would need a “miracle” if she was to regain her singing voice.
Faithfull said: “And I may not be able to sing ever again. Maybe that’s over. I would be incredibly upset if that was the case, but, on the other hand, I am 74.
“I don’t feel cursed and I don’t feel invincible. I just feel f****** human. But what I do believe in, which gives me hope, I do believe in miracles.
“You know, the doctor, this really nice National Health doctor, she came to see me and she told me that she didn’t think my lungs would ever recover.
“And where I finally ended up is: OK, maybe they won’t, but maybe, by a miracle, they will. I don’t know why I believe in miracles. I just do.
“Maybe I have to, the journey I’ve been on, the things that I’ve put myself through, that I’ve got through so far and I’m OK. Does that sound really corny?”
Describing her persisting symptoms, she said: “Three things: the memory, fatigue and my lungs are still not OK – I have to have oxygen and all that stuff. The side-effects are so strange. Some people come back from it but they can’t walk or speak. Awful.”
Catching Covid-19 temporarily halted work on Faithfull’s 21st solo album She Walks In Beauty, but the record is now scheduled for release in April.
Faithfull’s hits include As Tears Go By, which was written by Sir Mick and Keith Richards.
In addition to her music career, Faithfull has also acted in films including Girl On A Motorcycle, as well as theatre productions.
