Adam Lambert says Brian May is in "great spirits"

Adam Lambert

Adam Lambert

The Queen guitarist was forced to cancel his 2016 tour dates after battling with a "persistent illness" but the 'For Your Entertainment' hitmaker says the musician is "in a really good place" at the moment.

Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz on the red carpet at the BBC Music Awards at ExCeL London, he said: "I spoke to him the other night and he is in great spirits and he is so excited for potentially doing some more performances next year. I can't really say more than that. But he is in a really good place."

Brian was due to tour the UK in December with singer Kerry Ellis but had to postpone as the illness had been "destroying his energy and his will".

Writing on his official website, he shared at the time: "We're very sad today to announce the indefinite postponement of our 'candlelight' concert dates this coming December. This is a decision I've agonised over, but in the end it has become inevitable.

"I managed to complete the recent Queen and Adam Lambert dates in Asia but I have been increasingly battling with a persistent illness which is destroying my energy and my will. I am now at the point where I don't feel confident to perform the scheduled shows to the standard we all expect.

"I've been strongly advised to rest and heal, rather than go out and risk 'falling down on the job' out there, which would be a real tragedy. I'm convinced it's much better taking the step to cancel the dates now, refunding the fans for the ticket sales, and giving all our team a chance to re-plan their time in December. Sincere apologies to all."