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Dame Shirley Bassey in 5am dash for emergency stomach surgery
Last updated at 22:10pm on 27.05.08
Dame Shirley Bassey is recovering from emergency stomach surgery, it was revealed last night.
The 71 year-old singing legend was admitted to hospital in Monaco, where she lives, at 5am last Friday after complaining of severe abdominal pain.
Dame Shirley Bassey pictured here at a gala ball, is still in hospital
Doctors diagnosed a blockage in her intestine and she was immediately taken into surgery.
Paul Carey, Dame Shirley's spokesman, said the singer was recovering well at the Princess Grace of Monaco private hospital.
'People always remark on how fit she looks,' he added. 'She goes to the gym and she's very active for a 71 year-old. That's probably why shewas aware straight away that something was wrong.'
Asif Haq, a laparoscopic colorectal surgeon at King's College, London, said: 'The risks with operating on older people increase markedly and it can take twice as long to recover.
'If Dame Shirley is able to leave hospital relatively quickly, it sounds as if she may have had a twisted bowel rather than a blockage which might suggest she had bowel cancer.'
The Cardiff-born singer is expected to recover in time for her performance at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday concert in Hyde Park next month.
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- Rocky Fernandez, London, England
Fabulous news to learn that Dame Shirley Bassey is making a full recovery and determined to perform for Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday concert at Hyde Park this month, following her recent admission to hospital. Two years ago the organizers of the Live 8 concert made a big mistake when they failed to invite Dame Shirley to perform. The show was too 'Anglo Saxon' – not a single performer from Africa or a British artist with genuine African origins appeared. It is worth reminding everyone that Dame Shirley Bassey was the only artist who stood up to the apartheid movement and defied the regime which held Nelson Mandela in captivity for 26 years by performing in South Africa. She helped Mandela’s fight for freedom, democracy and the rights for ordinary African citizens. Many artists at the time were too frightened to perform. Dame Shirley is a trouper and fighter. Today anyone who appears on TV for 5 mins is called a "star" - the term is so diminished; whereas this great Lady has spent over 55 years in the cut throat world of showbiz and survived to quite rightly earn the respected title of the "Diva of all Diva’s"; And in the words of Dame Shirley “You don’t get older you get better” – And better she will get !
- Rocky Fernandez, London, England