Cheryl Baker, who found fame with Bucks Fizz, is keen to promote healthy hearing [REX]Whenever her husband Steve leaves the house Cheryl Baker grabs the chance to turn down the sound on the TV.
The singer – who made her name with the 1980s Eurovision pop sensation Bucks Fizz – tolerates the high volume when he’s around, as do her twin 19-year-old daughters Kyla and Natalie, because like many musicians his hearing has suffered from prolonged exposure to loud noise.
As a bass player for Cliff Richard for many years and now a busy session guitarist Steve Stroud, 61, has spent much of his working life surrounded by loud music.
“He has to have the TV on full blast or listen to it through headphones,” says Cheryl, 60, who lives with her family in Kent.
“When he goes out we turn the volume down. I feel sorry for him really because as a bass player loud noise has been a big part of his working life.
“One ear is worse than the other because that’s the side he has his monitor, the speaker which allows him to hear what’s being played.”
Now Cheryl is helping to spearhead a campaign designed to encourage more people to have their hearing tested so that they can continue to safely enjoy the sound of music.
The Pleasure Of Sound campaign centres around free tests by the private hearing-loss specialist Hidden Hearing which has nearly 200 branches nationwide.
Cheryl says: “Steve has had his hearing tested and is now looking into getting a hearing aid. I also had mine tested recently and thankfully it was fine.
“I think it’s brought home to me just how important it is to look after our hearing in the same way we look after our teeth or get our eyesight checked.”
In Steve’s case much of the loss involves treble sounds, those at the higher end of the human hearing range.
Cheryl (second left) with her fellow Bucks Fizz band members in 1981 [GETTY]I think it’s brought home to me just how important it is to look after our hearing in the same way we look after our teeth or get our eyesight checked
It is estimated that around four million people in Britain have undiagnosed hearing problems.
To highlight what they stand to lose by not seeking help the new campaign commissioned research to show just how important music is to our everyday lives.
A survey of just over 1,000 men and women aged 18 to 55 found that more than three-quarters of them listened to music for up to four hours a day, which is more than 60 days a year.
Half of those who took part claimed to have a special song that triggers memories of a past relationship and one in five said certain music reminded them of a first kiss.
Three out of four said music often made them happy but two-thirds also admitted it could move them to tears.
Yet the evidence suggests most of us ignore our hearing health.
Charity Action On Hearing Loss estimates that it takes an average of 10 years from when someone first notices hearing loss to asking for hearing aids.
It says: “Many people delay taking action because they are worried about facing up to their hearing loss or are unsure what help is available.
“Most people are unaware that high quality digital hearing aids are available on the NHS free of charge and the average waiting time is under five weeks.”
TV medic and GP Dr Hilary Jones, who is also backing the new campaign, says: “Hearing loss is increasingly common and can affect people of all ages.
“Many try to cope by turning up the volume on their TV or radio and asking friends and family to repeat themselves but left untreated hearing loss can cause isolation and social exclusion.
“A regular hearing check-up is key to ensuring no problem goes undetected.”
Cheryl shot to fame as part of the four-piece group Bucks Fizz which won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 with the song Making Your Mind Up. The group won notoriety for their on-stage showpiece which involved male singers Bobby G and Mike Nolan ripping the skirts off Cheryl and fellow female vocalist Jay Aston.
They still sometimes perform together more than 30 years later.
“I grew up surrounded by music,” says Cheryl, who also enjoyed a successful career as a TV presenter. “My mum was a mixture of Jewish and Irish and came from a family of singers so she was always singing to me.
“I remember once doing a Bucks Fizz gig and there was deaf girl in the front row. I asked her mum why she came to the concert and she said she loved to feel the vibrations of the music and look at all the bright colours.
“I thought at the time how awful it must be to not be able to hear anything.
“Most people happily get their eyes tested as they get older but rarely their ears. I think many are put off by the old image of bulky hearing aids but the reality is that many modern ones are so small and high-tech they are almost completely invisible.
“The girls definitely want their dad to get one – if only so they can turn the TV down a bit.”
For more information on free hearing tests with Hidden Hearing call 0800 740 8706 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 
0800 740 8706 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit hiddenhearing.co.uk
0800 740 8706 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit hiddenhearing.co.uk
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