Alesso shares secret health battle which has led to cancelled gigs as he takes break

Swedish DJ Alesso, who has won awards since bursting onto the music scene in 2010, shocked fans when he called off a series of performances in December due to health concerns

Swedish DJ Alesso has opened up about his "really difficult time" dealing with a chronic condition which led to the cancellation of some gigs in December.

The record producer, 33, is living with severe tinnitus, a condition often described as a "ringing in the ears" - a constant noise caused from inside the body. There is no quick fix for the condition, which one Brit recently told the Mirror causes dins "as loud as an aeroplane".

Alesso, who has worked with numerous artists, including Calvin Harris, Katy Perry and Liam Payne, recently called off a series of performances for the first time in 14 years. He cited health concerns at the time and now has shed more light on what exactly he has faced in the past couple of months.

The DJ, whose version of the Chainsmokers and British rock band Coldplay's Something Just Like This won the Best Remix gong at the International Dance Music Awards 2018, said: "Two months ago, I woke up with the loudest ringing in my ears. Talking about 10 out of 10. I was in complete shock. It was not after a show. I just woke up, and it was so intense."

Alesso, born in Stockholm, Sweden, went on to say how he had suffered with it before but not on this level. He added: "I know it's super common in the music industry, but yeah, I had a really, really difficult time dealing with this. I've been doing this for 14 years now, and I've never taken a break. So I just took this as a sign to slow down, to prioritize my health and be more careful."

The record producer went on to say that he would still be performing, but had made the decision to take a step back. His famous pals rushed to sent their support – fellow DJ Martin Garrix posted a series of love hearts, while Brody Jenner commented: “Sorry to hear about this my man. Take care of yourself." Last year, Alesso performed in Belgium, Greece, France, Iceland, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

A Brit trapped in a Long Covid struggle last year told The Mirror his tinnitus - in his case associated with the coronavirus - frequently caused a "electrical static crackle" noise in his head. Shaney Wright, from Stratford, east London, candidly told us: "The thing that is so debilitating about it is that you cannot escape it. You can't actually get away from it and it's distracting. It makes it hard to do anything, to even get up and go to work and so, when you've got a loud wailing in your head."