Ahead of his three-date concert tour of the UK, the superstar Italian tenor says his preparation is similar to that of an athlete.

“It’s important to rest, to be in good shape, to eat lightly, and don’t drink and don’t smoke of course,” says Bocelli.

“Another very important thing is the silence,” he tells Classic FM’s Charlotte Green on this week’s edition of Culture Club, to be broadcast on Sunday 9 November at 3pm.

“Basically I stay all the day, quiet in my room. In Italian there is an expression. We say, ‘Speaking is the enemy of singing.'”