Brian May reveals dark reality behind his 'rock star' life

Brian May, famed for being the lead guitarist of his band Queen, revealed his years-long battle with depression.

During a recent sit-down with The Times Newspaper, the 79-year-old musician dished on his mental health struggles, admitting he felt happiness in his life only a few times while hiding from the world.

Brian shared, "Well, I’m a depressive. I’ve been diagnosed as such. Depression is an animal that lives inside you, so happiness is found in those moments when depression is hidden in a corner.

"That’s when you’re experiencing life to the full, in spite of it, or perhaps because of it."

The backing vocalist of the legendary rock band went on to explain, "The depression is always there, and if I don’t look out it will kick me in the teeth. I can only find happiness in moments. As a rock star, you do get a lot of great moments."

As Brian also announced recently that he is stepping back from touring, revealing the reason behind it, he said, "I made a decision 18 months ago that I didn’t want to tour again."

He continued, "A close family friend died when we were in the States, so I said to my tour manager: 'I’ll just nip home for a few days and come back.'

"She looked me in the eyes and said: 'You know you can’t do that.'"

Brain admitted that while he "loves" to perform and "loves to travel," his "freedom” is the price.

"I have a wife [Anita Dobson], grandchildren and a lot of astrophysics I want to do, so I’m thinking maybe 50 years is enough," he remarked.

In spite of taking a break, Brian said he is not completely ending his shows and revealed that he is planning a Queen show at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

Brian added, "Last year I went to the Sphere, my juices started flowing and I sketched out a whole Queen show.

"I think an immersive experience is still on the cards and it could conquer time and space, but currently you can’t make it without AI and I have serious misgivings about that."