Throat surgery needed to save The Wanted singer Nathan Sykes' voice

Nathan Sykes and Tom Parker of boy band The Wanted (Getty Images)

The Wanted singer Nathan Sykes is to undergo specialist surgery to save his voice and will take a break from the chart-topping group to recover.

The star will go under the surgeon's knife in Los Angeles tomorrow, when he should have been celebrating his 20th birthday.

The British boy band - who have become stars on both sides of the Atlantic - were due to be recording a new album.

He is understood to have a haemorrhaging vocal cord, a condition which almost wrecked the voice of global star Adele at the tail end of 2011, but her surgery in the US proved a success.

The Wanted - who scored number ones with All Time Low and Glad You Came - had been due to play a number of shows later this year, but will carry out their bookings without Sykes. He will rest and recover from the surgery.

A publicist for the group said: "We can confirm that The Wanted's Nathan Sykes will under go specialist throat surgery on Thursday April 18 in Los Angeles and as such will be taking an unforeseen hiatus form The Wanted.

"The priority for Nathan, his label and management is that he is given time to recover and receive the best treatment possible.

"The remaining four members of The Wanted will continue fulfilling the bands promotional commitments across the world."

PA