George Michael cancels Australian tour

Singer George Michael has pulled out of the Australian leg of his `Symphonica` tour due to the anxiety he still feels regarding his recent bout with pneumonia.

London: Singer George Michael has pulled out of the Australian leg of his `Symphonica` tour due to the anxiety he still feels regarding his recent bout with pneumonia.
Michael, 49, who performed during the closing ceremony of the Olympics, issued a statement on his own website detailing that the shows he was scheduled to play throughout November and the start of December have to be cancelled, reported Contactmusic. "I have today announced the cancellation of the shows in Australia which breaks my heart. By way of explanation all I can say at this time is that since last year`s illness I have tried in vain to work my way through the trauma that the doctors who saved my life warned me I would experience. "They recommended complete rest and the type of post traumatic counselling which is available in cases like mine but I`m afraid I believed (wrongly) that making music and getting out there to perform for the audiences that bring me such joy would be therapy enough in itself," he wrote. The announcement on his site also explains that anyone who has purchased tickets for the cancelled shows will receive a full refund. Michael is also set to perform nine different concerts in Britain over October, after completing a successful European leg of the tour over the summer. PTI