Daniel Bedingfield’s run in London’s West End theatre production of War of the Worlds came to an abrupt end after just two months in.
The Gotta Get Thru This singer, 36, had difficulties backstage and suddenly parted ways with the company in the early stages of its run.
A source said: “It just wasn’t working. There were a lot of difficulties behind the scenes. Tensions had risen to the extremes and it got too much for everyone to work with. The best thing was if Daniel left, so earlier this month he made a shock departure - and until now, it had been kept under the radar.
“The schedule of performances is very intense - there are eight shows every week, so when there’s a bad atmosphere backstage it can really affect the cast. Everyone needs to be at their best or the show will suffer.
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“But Daniel had been well received in his performances. It’s a shame they couldn’t make it work.”
Despite Daniel still appearing on the Dominion Theatre’s website advertising tickets for the stage show last night, a representative for the War of the Worlds told us: “Daniel Bedingfield is no longer performing in the show due to unforeseen circumstances. The role of the Artilleryman is played by Simon Shorten.”
Daniel had been starring alongside David Essex, Jimmy Nail and former Sugababe Heidi Range. Jeff Wayne conducted the performance on stage.
It was his theatre debut, having kicked off his career as a singer in 2001. He was a judge on New Zealand’s version of the X Factor in 2013.
His acting was described as “wooden” and “stiff as a Lego figure” by critics, but all commended his rendition of the song Brave New World.
Since quitting the boards, he has been letting off steam at Coachella festival in LA.