Elton John fans feared for their beloved Rocketman legend when he was left totally blind in one eye, and struggling with limited vision in the other, following an infection caught in the South of France in July 2024. However, the man who declared himself a "permanent optimist" has now shared a fresh update, confessing that he feels just as sprightly now as he did when he was just out of his teens.

Chatting in a new interview with Capital Breakfast Radio hosts Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby, he was brimming with positivity as he revealed: "I was seventy-eight last week, but I don’t feel seventy-eight. I just feel like I did when I was twenty." He hastily added that he could not run a hundred yards in ten seconds anymore, before joking: "Not that I ever could!" Instead Elton is leaving the intense physical activity to Zachary and Elijah, the two sons he shares with husband David Furnish - and he's hugely proud of their "sporty" ambitions.

He didn't let his vision troubles deter him as he challenged himself to write his latest album, Who Believes In Angels? in its entirety in just twenty days.

"It’s always good to put pressure on yourself," he insisted, adding: "Nerves are part of everything you do... if you don't get nervous then there's no point."

The latest album, which will be his 33rd, is a collaboration with 11-times Grammy winning singer Brandi Carlile - and he revealed he'd been "dying to do a record with [her] for a long time".

"I wanted to sound fresh and bounce off Brandi and that was the main part of doing the album - to bounce of what she was doing and push her in another direction. It was into the unknown, but all came out well in the end," he mused.

Meanwhile, as he navigates a career that has lasted almost 60 years, Elton is adamant that he had no interest in making another solo album this time around.

“If I had just made another Elton John record, I would've killed myself!" he earlier quipped to The Sun.

He also told The Guardian that while on some days he'd been "miserable" due to his poor sight, he's ever hopeful that it will improve.

"I've beaten addiction, health issues and can pick myself up, dust myself off!" he exclaimed.

Listen to Capital Breakfast with Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby weekdays from 6:00am – 10:00am across the UK on air, and on Global Player, the official Capital app