Lee Ryan has been rushed to hospital with quinsy.

Lee Ryan

Lee Ryan

The 'EastEnders' hunk was admitted to the medical centre recently with extreme pain after he developed a peritonsillar abscess - a rare and potentially serious complication of tonsillitis - just 20 months after he underwent surgery to remove a lump in his throat that doctors feared was cancerous.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "Lee is in a really bad place at the moment and he is in a lot of pain too. He has been unable to talk, swallow, or eat so doctors decided to drain his throat to try to alleviate the pain. It is extremely scary for him as his throat is a very sensitive place after his recent cancer scare."

And his health woes couldn't have come at a worse time for the Blue singer as he's still trying to get over his heartbreak after recently splitting from his girlfriend Jaime-Lee Faulkner.

The insider added: "The fact he's split up with Jaime-Lee has only compounded his misery."

Lee has certainly had a busy year thus far as he joined 'EastEnders' in the spring as the new bad boy Woody Woodward and proved such a hit with viewers that bosses have decided to extend his contract - meaning he should return later this year - but his throat issues may have jeopardised that.

In 2015, Blue - comprised also of Simon Webbe, Duncan James and Antony Costa - were forced to cancel their tour due to Lee's surgery and, although there were rumours that the band were heading back into the studio in the next coming weeks, it's not known how his illness will affect his vocals.