Isle of Wight musician says he thought his life was over when diagnosed with tinnitus
Rupert Brown's urging others with the condition to access help
An Isle of Wight musician with tinnitus says he thought his life was over when he first got the diagnosis.
It comes as new research finds one in seven adults across the UK now live with tinnitus, with live music identified as a key contributor.
Rupert Brown's a drummer, playing for the likes of the Cher, and he's struggled with tinnitus since he was 22.
He said: "I just remember thinking my life's finished.
"Me as a person, I just thought, this is over, life as I've experienced it is gone.
"It's just so hard when your balance is so badly affected and everything's just so out of sync.
"It's bad enough being in a loud club, but when you're home and it's quiet?
"You just can't imagine it.
"You want to throw up, and know that even if you cry, it's not going to make any difference.
"It's not like you can relieve the tension in any way because your landscape has just suddenly changed."
He tells us he doesn't suffer as much from tinnitus after getting help with it.
Mr Brown attends hearing therapy sessions.
He said: "What hearing therapists and people with special tinnitus interests like audiologists will tell you is that they'll give you the information and confidence to know it's not going to destroy you.
"That's when, for me, the hyperacusis just disappeared within the space of about a week.
"Once I knew the information and trusted it, I was fine.
"That's the thing, I think you can get rid of it quite quickly with the right information."