According to nme.com, Iron Maiden’s drummer Nicko McBrain has recently admitted that he feared he would never be able to play drums again after suffering a stroke back in January. The musician underwent 10 weeks of “intensive therapy” in an effort to gain back full strength and by May, McBrain was ready to start rehearsals with the rest of the band before starting The Future Past Tour. During an interview with Metal Hammer Magazine, the drummer opened up about the experience by saying ““It was very, very difficult.”

“When it first happened, I thought, this is it, I’m not going to be able to play. I’ve got a tour coming up in three months’ time. I had a lot of time for reflection in the hospital. My wife was really my bastion of strength and encouragement and she was with me throughout.” said McBrain.

The musician also spoke about the support he received from the rest of the band: “Throughout all this period of time, I was in touch with [Iron Maiden bassist] Steve [Harris]. Obviously, all the guys, and I’d have a bit of a chat with them on the phone and they were all very, very encouraging, and none more so than Steve. He said, ‘Look, the most important thing is that you get well and work on getting yourself together’.”

McBrain only shared information about the health scare back in August by saying that he had wanted to focus on his performance before sharing the news to his fans. “I feel it’s important to let you know about this now instead of earlier as I was mainly concerned with doing my job and concentrating on getting back to 100% fitness. I’m not there yet but by the grace of God I’m getting better and stronger as the weeks go by.”

Back in October the drummer revealed that he was almost fully recovered by stating that he was “85 to 90 percent back to strength” but admitted to still having some difficulty with the speed and dexterity of his fingers.

Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schultz