Michael Ball is a famous figure from the glory days of the West End

Musical theatre sensation Michael Ball will not be cancelling his upcoming show in Portsmouth at others were rescheduled due to illness.

The 64-year-old singer, actor and presenter is currently on his Glow tour. However, a post shared to his Instagram announced he has been forced to postpone shows in Stoke-On-Trent and Leicester, where he had been due to perform on Wednesday and Thursday.

Michael Ball will still be appearing at an upcoming show in Portsmouth despite other cancellations due to illness. Pictured is the entertainer on stage during The National Lottery's Big Night Of Musicals. | Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The National Lottery

placeholder image — Michael Ball will still be appearing at an upcoming show in Portsmouth despite other cancellations due to illness. Pictured is the entertainer on stage during The National Lottery's Big Night Of Musicals. | Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The National Lottery

The post read: “IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT. We are very sorry to announce that, due to illness, we have to re-schedule Michael’s shows at Stoke Regent Theatre & Leicester De Montfort Hall. We understand how disappointing this news will be and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

“The above shows will now take place on Saturday 3rd October (Leicester De Montfort Hall) and Monday 5th October (Stoke Regent Theatre). All tickets for the original dates will remain valid, however, if you are unable to attend the re-scheduled dates, please contact your point of purchase for a full refund.”

It concluded: “We very much look forward to seeing you all soon, and thank you for your continued support.”

Ball is next scheduled to perform in Nottingham on Saturday. His upcoming appearance in Portsmouth will take place at the Guildhall on Friday, October 2. Tickets are still available on the Guildhall website from £72.95.

Other appearance are due to take place in Milton Keynes, Brighton, Bristol, Southend, Bournemouth, Torquay, Cardiff, and London. Ball rose to fame making his West End debut as Marius Pontmercy in the original production of Les Miserables in 1985.

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Four years later he reached number two in the UK singles chart with Love Changes Everything, from the musical Aspects Of Love, where he played Alex Dillingham. His album Coming Home To You then reached number one in the UK, making it his fourth number one album to date.

In 1992, Ball also represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing second with the song One Step Out of Time. His other West End credits include Raoul de Chagny in The Phantom Of The Opera, Giorgio Bachetti in Passion, and Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

He has twice won the Laurence Olivier Award for best actor in a musical – in 2008 for his role as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, and in 2013 for the title role in the revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. In 2015 he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services to musical theatre.