Pete Tong has opened up about his irreversible hearing loss, sharing his regret at not protecting his ears and how going partially deaf has ‘changed his attitude’.
The veteran DJ was one of the most influential figures in dance music and a defining presence of the 1990s Ibiza scene.
Now 65, he continues to host on Radio 1, but decades spent in clubs have taken their toll.
Around 10 years ago, he experienced hearing loss in his right ear and now wears earplugs while performing.
He also relies on hearing aids to help him follow conversations in meetings and noisy environments.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Pete admitted it was a ‘really difficult transition’ as he adjusted to his life as a DJ after hearing loss.
Pete Tong has shared his regret over not protecting his ears as he opened up about irreversible hearing loss
The veteran DJ became one of the most influential figures in dance music and a defining presence of the 1990s Ibiza scene (pictured in Ibiza in 2012)
Pete, who has teamed up with Boots Hearingcare to raise awareness for hearing tests, shared that the transition into wearing earplugs has been difficult.
He explained: ‘I have to say it was a really difficult transition to get used to because you’re kind of isolating yourself to a certain extent.
‘You have to get used to it, and you have to find the right balance with the right earplugs with the right filters to still feel that you’re in the room enough.
‘I mean, you’d be amazed how many top top DJs still don’t wear earplugs. It surprises me. People who work way more than I do are still not wearing earplugs.’
Pete added that while he doesn’t feel pressure to downplay his hearing loss, it has given him a ‘change of attitude’.
He said: ‘It’s not something you can scream from the rooftops, but it’s common.
‘Certainly, in the last few years, it seems that more people wear something in their ears.
‘So I think anything stigma related to kind of wearing a hearing device is kind of melted away, certainly for me, yeah.’
While Pete has adjusted to life after hearing loss, he confessed that he regrets not taking precautions on the club scene by covering his years.
He said: ‘I guess if I’d been aware in the 90s when I first started, it was never a thing.
‘Everything that was done in the past is purely from ignorance and innocence, you know.
‘I think just coming through the whole evolution and the rise of popularity of DJing, It, it wasn’t something that we really spoke about in the 90s.’
The DJ, who has teamed up with Boots Hearingcare to raise awareness for hearing tests, told the Daily Mail: ‘Everything that was done in the past is purely from ignorance and innocence, you know’
The DJ is set to go on his Ibiza Classics tour in the summer, up until the end of the year (pictured a Boots Hearingcare event)
Elsewhere in the chat, Pete, who has been DJing for over four decades, shared if he had any plans on slowing down his career anytime soon.
The DJ is set to go on his Ibiza Classics tour in the summer, up until the end of the year.
And with a year packed with performances, it doesn’t look like Pete is slowing down anytime soon.
He said: ‘I don’t know if it’s slowing down. I mean, I don’t DJ every night. I’m as involved as I kind of wanna be.
‘I still really, really enjoy what I do, you know, finding new music and sharing it, so I think it’s just a case of maturing gracefully and appropriately.
‘I just definitely don’t do six or seven nights a week like I’ve done in my past.
‘I think just choosing your battles, you know, or choosing the opportunities that kind of suit where I’m at in my career.’
Pete hopes his campaign with Boots Hearingcare encourages more people to get their hearing tested and to take proactive action earlier.
The DJ believes hearing tests should be as routine as eye tests or dental check-ups.
He explained: ‘You know, I had this thing for a while about how you walk down the high street, and you see an optician, you kind of know where the doctors are, but no one ever talks to you about hearing.’
Approximately 18 million people in the UK – roughly 1 in 3 adults – experience hearing loss, deafness, or tinnitus, according to recent data by RNID.
Boots Hearingcare now offers a free hearing test with no pressure or obligation.
Pete continued: ‘If you have got some kind of hearing loss, then the earlier you find out about it, the better because the whole thing about hearing loss is people don’t really know what they’re missing, because it’s not like a light switch, it’s a gradual thing.
‘You don’t really know, and I mean, obviously, there are extreme cases of people going completely deaf, you know, from zero to 100, and that’s horrible and tragic.
‘But for 99 percent of the people, it’s gradual and progressive.’
For more information on hearing loss and to book a free hearing test, visit: https://www.bootshearingcare.com/hearing-test/
