Cara O'Sullivan overcame the most frightening moment of her life

When Cara O’Sullivan was diagnosed with nodes on her vocal cords, she knew that the slightest slip during the operation would end her singing career, writes Jo Kerrigan

WHEN you have been singing from the cradle, have made your career in operatic and concert performance, you cannot imagine doing anything else. That is how it has always been for Cara O’Sullivan, constantly in demand both here and abroad. Yet, she reveals, a few years ago she became aware that all was not as it should be with her hitherto totally reliable and amazing voice.

“I was getting unexplained hoarseness and couldn’t understand it. It was after my mother died, and we were clearing everything out of the old family home, which was desperately stressful, and I thought that might have something to do with it. As a singer, of course, you often get a reaction to a very busy period of work, and you tend to take it easy for a while, do exercises, relax, but none of that was really working.”