The Apprentice star Tre Lowe has revealed that battling tinnitus has left him feeling like he wants to end his life in the past.
The 49-year-old star is fast becoming one of the favourites of the 2024 season of The Apprentice where he is competing against seventeen other hopefuls to land the approval of Lord Alan Sugar and gain his backing. However, his time as a reality star is not the first attempt at fame for Tre - who is also known as Paul Akabah.
He is one half of the UK RnB and Garage act Architechs - who enjoyed success in the charts back in the year 2000 with the release of the single Body Groove featuring vocals by Nana. But while Tre has been enjoying life in the spotlight, he has been battling a crippling health condition in his private life.
Now the singer a businessman has opened up about living with tinnitus which has caused an agonising sound in his ears and caused pressure in his skull that he has compared to a ‘brain tumour’. He revealed the condition began when he was just 15 years old, beginning after he underwent surgery. Tre says that the condition made it difficult for him to enjoy his music heyday - but says he used to take comfort in thinking he could one day end his life if it became intolerable.
The reality star has battled Tinnitus since his teenage years (PA)
The musician is hoping to win the approval of Lord Alan Sugar (PA)Opening up to The Sun, the star said: “My life was crazy, one minute I’d be on Top of the Pops with Robbie Williams, Spice Girls, Kylie Minogue, All Saints and the next day I’m getting my brain scanned. Life was crazy, it’s no wonder I had to create this world where if it got worse I would jump off a building.”
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Sharing details of his tinnitus battle and how it makes him feel, he said: "I have no idea what silence sounds like. I had rumbling in my head, I had head pressure that felt like a brain tumour. I remember feeling ‘I’m not going to be able to live with these conditions’. That was always my way – ‘if it gets worse I can jump off a building’, that’s how I survived it. It got worse and worse and worse.”
Tre went on to explain that having thoughts of jumping off a building didn’t make him “suicidal”, but rather he found a “sense of control” in knowing he could end his life if he wanted - and made a comparison to the end of life service Dignitas in Switzerland. He went on to explain that the condition caused havoc with his career as a singer and nightclub DJ.
He recounted one incident where he woke up without any sense of hearing - and was relieved when his hearing eventually came back. Last month, Tre’s wife, Enas Daeki, 33, opened up about other difficulties Tre has faced in recent years - including the death of his brother, Ashley, and how she and he had to overcome family disapproval to get married.
Speaking to the MailOnline she said: We have both experienced so much grief. Making a difference to other people's lives is really what that drives us both… [Tre’s brother] Ashley died right at the beginning of Covid - before people really knew what it really was. Losing his brother, his soulmate, a fellow artist - impacted Tre deeply. But the rest is for Tre himself to talk about.” Explaining how she supported her husband through his grief, Enas revealed: “Being there and just listening was what I did. To go through that heartbreak, together, was such a big thing.”
She went on to open up about the difficulties they faced when they announced their plans to marry. She said: “We ruled it out for many years because I was from Liyba and Tre is British, of Nigerian heritage. My family did not approve at all... People from my country marry other people from my country. When we first came to Britain I had to fight for a right to live here.” She added: “When I won my appeal the rest of my family returned to Libya and cut me off. I felt totally abandoned but when I met Tre he showed me what was possible.”
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
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