Sam Smith thankful for vocal cord surgery

British singer Sam Smith considers his vocal cord surgery a blessing in disguise as it gave him perspective on his fast rise to fame.

The Stay With Me hitmaker was forced to cancel tour dates to undergo an operation in May (15) after he developed a haemorrhage, and he recovered at his home while on vocal rest for a month.

Smith admits the operation was a blessing as he got time off to spend with his family and friends which made him evaluate the changes in his life since his rise to fame.

He tells British radio station Magic FM, "It's been the best thing that's happened to me ever. I feel like I've been gifted with time. I got to stop for a month and rest, and become normal again and to realise how insanely my life has changed. And in some areas it's changed for the worse.

"Some things are taken away from you, so it was beautiful for me to be able to kind of regain my normality a little bit. Just be with my mum and my dad and my sisters, and remember how to laugh and chat about them and not have to talk about me all the time... It got to the point where my mum and dad were being put on guest-lists to see me after shows; they didn't get to spend any time with their son, and that's not normal... It's been really tough if I'm honest. There's things that are taken away from you."