James Arthur admits he blew £370 every couple of hours on poker app during lockdown

James Arthur has admitted he was hooked on playing online poker during lockdown, blowing £370 every couple of hours on a gambling app.

The Impossible singer told The Sun he developed some bad habits during the pandemic as he spent more time at home on his own, including eating badly and smoking weed.

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Arthur, 33, said: “At the beginning of lockdown I was deep in the PokerStars app.

“I was entering $500 tournaments every couple of hours, just sitting on that app all day.

“I deleted the app for a little while as I sensed I was getting a bit carried away.”

The singer admitted to being "a bit of a wreck" and said he had fallen back into a weed habit, smoking heavily in the early weeks of lockdown.

He also shared that he had been "eating irresponsibly" after telling himself it didn't matter as it would be so long until anyone saw him.

But he said that halfway through lockdown, he had decided to do something about his unhealthy habits and had quit the poker, food and weed binges in favour of going out running and making music again.

It obviously paid off, with Arthur due to release his latest album It'll All Make Sense In The End in October – although he joked that his next album should be called Resilience.

Arthur had been touring Europe just before lockdown, but had to postpone some of his dates after falling so ill that he feared he would die on stage.

The star had believed he was suffering from flu, but he actually had a gallbladder infection and also said he had been suffering from anxiety.

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Say You Won't Let Go singer Arthur is set to make a return to live performance this year, however.

He will perform in Belfast and Bucharest next month, and is on the line-up for the Isle of Wight festival in September.

Watch: James Arthur's ready for a family