Engelbert Humperdinck recounts tying up nurse during 1961 tuberculosis sanatorium stay

Engelbert Humperdinck described an incident during his 1961 stay at Leicester's Groby Road Hospital Sanatorium where he tied a nurse's hands behind her back in retaliation for painful injections. The 90-year-old British singer detailed the event on a recent episode of his podcast, "The Engelbert Humperdinck Show," while reflecting on his diagnosis and treatment for tuberculosis.

Humperdinck explained that the sanatorium regimen required him to remain on his back for approximately eight weeks, prohibiting any strenuous activity. He stated that he received a daily morning injection from a nurse who used a large needle, causing him significant pain and leaving blue marks on his body. He claimed the nurse did not like him and refused to be replaced when he complained about the discomfort.

After enduring the painful treatments, Humperdinck decided to take "mischievous" action. He asked a friend in the adjacent bed to obtain rope. Before doctor's rounds began one morning, Humperdinck said he grabbed the nurse, bound her hands behind her back, placed her in the empty bed next to his, and covered her with a blanket. When the doctor arrived for his rounds, Humperdinck stated that the physician knew he was responsible for the prank but ignored the situation and walked past.

Once the nurse was freed, Humperdinck said he was in trouble but successfully prevented her from administering further injections. He requested a male nurse to take over the duty, noting that the experience was much better. The singer spent six months at the sanatorium after initially beginning to cough up blood during a concert in Manchester.

His mother had challenged an initial diagnosis of a bad throat infection after observing blood in his cough, demanding an X-ray. Within an hour of the imaging, doctors informed him he had tuberculosis and needed immediate transfer to the sanatorium. Eight weeks later, after testing negative for the disease, Humperdinck visited with his mother and asked if the facility was a good place. His mother revealed that a priest had spent an hour with him upon his arrival, administering last rites because he was expected to have only three days to live.

Born Arnold George Dorsey, Humperdinck achieved commercial success in 1967 with the release of "Release Me," which reached No. 1 in the U.K. His official biography states that he has sold more than 140 million records worldwide, received four Grammy nominations, won a Golden Globe for entertainer of the year, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.