Edwyn Collins "felt he was fighting for his life" during his stroke ordeal.

The 65-year-old musician had to go through a lengthy programme of neurological rehabilitation after a major health crisis left him unable to speak in 2005 and thought that that was going to be the end for him.

In a Q+A with readers of The Guardian, he was asked what "inspires" him to carry on, and he replied: "In hospital, even my pupils didn't react. It looked like curtains for me. But my doctor decided to operate. And I'm grateful. Even when I was unconscious, I felt I was fighting for my life."

But the 'A Girl Like You' hitmaker - who is married to his manager Grace Maxwell and has son William, 25, with her - refused to give up on his dreams and ahead of his farewell tour later his year admitted that while it is ""difficult" for him to get around these days, he finds "joy" in being able to walk short distances with his son.

He said: "My dreams didn't die. There was wonderful satisfaction to come. Now, sometimes it's difficult for me to get about. [When I'm in] town it is difficult, bumping into people. But I can walk to the tube with my son William; that's joyful."

Meanwhile, the Scottish-born star - who found fame as the frontman of the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice - will release his 10th studio album 'Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation' on March 14, and revealed that his wife came up with the title.

He said: "It was Grace's choice Up in Helmsdale [in the Scottish Highlands], in my studio, I have an art deco radiogram speaker which has a sort of sunburst thing with that phrase written on it. For £60 on eBay - pristine! It was the BBC World Service motto. When we were casting about for a title for the new record, it seemed like a great expression. Grace said, if you're going to call it that you have to write a song with that title. So I did."