Bryan Ferry's son has lost the use of one of his hands following a serious car crash last December.

He said: "It was awful. I don’t know what to say because he has basically lost his hand. It is there but he can’t use it.

"He has a long way to go in terms of fixing it. He had a stent put into his aorta, the main bloodline to the heart, and that was done to save his life.

"There was a difficulty with the flow of blood and they had to cut the tendons on his arm and he couldn’t turn it.

"He has got some movement but there is nothing to make the hand work.

Since he wanted to be a guitar player, and that’s what was his passion, it’s pretty tragic. It’s all difficult – even tying your shoelaces."

While the crash has stopped Merlin fulfilling his dreams of playing guitar, Bryan, 70, hopes he will still carve out a career in the music business.

He told Event magazine: "The thing is, he’s incredibly knowledgeable about music and he’s very much into vinyl and blues singers I’ve never heard of... 'Is that an original pressing?' he asks, and all that.

"He’s a great reader and has got a brilliant ear; it would be great if he became a producer or something like that."