Coldplay's Chris Martin: "I've Suffered With Tinnitus For Ten Years"

4 May 2012, 11:33 | Updated: 4 May 2012, 11:46

The 'Charlie Brown' singer admits the ear condition threatened to end his music career at one point.

Coldplay's Chris Martin has confessed that he has been suffering from tinnitus for around ten years.

The 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall' singer revealed he has protected the condition form getting any worse by wearing earplugs on stage.

Speaking during a launch for the Action on Hearing Loss campaign, he said: "I've had tinnitus for about 10 years, but since I started protecting my ears it hasn't got any worse – touch wood."

"The band use moulded filter plugs, or in-ear monitors. You can use industrial headphones but they look strange at a party," he continued. "Looking after your ears is unfortunately something you don't think about until there's a problem. I wish I'd thought about it earlier."

Other stars backing the campaign include rapper Plan B and 70s star Gary Numan.

Meanwhile, Coldplay made their debut on American Idol last night (3rd May) performing a selection of their biggest hit singles on the results show.