Support truly
independent journalism
Sam Smith has recounted an awful ski accident that left them unable to walk for a month due to a torn ACL.
The non-binary “Stay With Me” singer, 32, who uses they/them pronouns, recalled the incident and the weeks-long healing process during a recent interview on BBC’s Sidetracked with Annie and Nick podcast.
“I completely ripped my ACL,” Smith told hosts Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw. “I was an idiot and went on a black slope on the second day. I got taken down in a blood bag. It was the worst.” Black slopes are considered expert and usually reserved for advanced skiers.
Trying to explain the injury, the Grammy-winning artist said: “It’s in between your bones and helps you jump and spring around.”
An ACL injury is a tear or sprain in the knee’s anterior cruciate ligament, often caused by a sudden twisting motion.
“It completely ripped and I decided to go down the non-surgical route, but I couldn’t walk for a month on this leg and it was awful,” Smith said. “It was the first time I’d ever not been able to move and I was holding onto a bit of weight. I was very anxious. I’d been struggling with anxiety for years. I used it as an excuse to get my s*** together.”
On average, it typically takes six to nine months for a torn ACL to fully heal, according to Cleveland Clinic, though this can depend on the severity of the injury.
“I started icing every morning,” the “I’m Not the Only One” singer recalled, “started getting into my circadian rhythm, and a big part of that is light exposure to your eyes. So in the morning you’d try to get as much sunlight as you can and then in the evening, you’d stay off your phone and try to basically live by candlelight for the last hour before you sleep.”
They quipped that “most of the nights I fail. I’m on my phone texting.”
In January, Smith sparked concern after they were photographed wearing a knee brace on their right leg and walking with a cane while out and about in New York City’s Soho neighborhood.
Smith isn’t the only celebrity to have recently injured their ACL. Over the weekend, Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza tore her ACL during a game of knockout at the WNBA’s All-Star weekend in Phoenix, Arizona.
Plaza was seen using crutches after the injury. “Thank you @wnba for hosting such an amazing weekend and taking such good care of me and my busted knee. Such a great game. See you in Paris (no),” the White Lotus alum wrote on Instagram.
