Tom Grennan has undergone surgery to remove metal plates from his jaw

He told The Times newspaper: "They were pushing themselves out of my gums ... [Having surgery] was a relief for me. I'm no longer reminded of that time in my life. It was like I closed the door and that was me being released, I suppose."

During the interview, Tom admitted the attack left him with lasting physical and mental injuries and it took him years to recover.

He said: "I think that was the first time my world came crashing down, the first time I really knew what it was like to be depressed, to feel suicidal, like nobody loved me.

"From one little thing that somebody did. One punch caused an earthquake, a tsunami. It took me years to open up."

However, he credited the trauma from the attack with leading him to embrace songwriting. Tom explained: "The attack was horrible, but it allowed me to open up another part of my mind. I'd never written a song before it."

As well as having surgery on his jaw this year, Tom also went under the knife to fix a tendon injury and he recently admitted the recovery process has been tough as he battled anxiety issues.

Tom told MailOnline last month: "I'm a person like every body who suffers with anxiety and mental health. I've got a bad ankle, I've had to have an operation to get a tendon rebuilt so I was in a boot for eight weeks. It's not good, it's a long recovery.

"So we'll see what I can do, I'm going to have to get it strapped up - I'm still not comfortable with it. I think that's where a lot of my anxiousness over the past few months has come from."