A runny nose and itchy eyes are bad enough but when James Busted gets hay fever, he can barely breathe.

When did you first get hay fever?
It started when I was really little - I always had itchy eyes. Some people get an itchy nose and some get asthmatic. Mine can get so bad it affects my breathing. It also makes my ears itchy and I have to make this funny sound in my throat to clear them!

What are the warning signs that it's flaring up?
It starts with sneezing and then my eyes itch and water, then my ears itch. My eyes swell up as well and eventually I can't breathe properly. If I was to run around, I'd get really bad. Even though I don't have asthma, I have two inhalers for my hay fever. Sometimes, when my eyes hurt and my ears sting I get a headache, too. I get it really bad.

How did you know it was definitely hay fever?
When I first got it, it was coming up to summer. It's really frustrating when you're trying to speak to someone and it starts up. But I realised quickly what not to do - like scratch my eyes.

When was it at its worst?
Once I went to a farmhouse in France and it was the worst it's ever been cos I was in the middle of the countryside. I had to go indoors and just dip my head in cold water! It was awful.

Was it bad when you were at school?
My school was beside rapeseed fields and they weren't just on one side of the building - the fields surrounded us. Rapeseed is the main thing that causes my hay fever. I remember when I used to do games: we'd sit on the ground and they'd put us into teams, but when I sat on the grass it would start up straight away.

So what did you do to avoid it at playtime?
I had to stay in sometimes and even if I didn't have it, I still wouldn't go out cos I knew what would happen if I did flare up. It was only really in summer though. I used to like it if it rained cos then people would stay in with me.

Did you feel like you were missing out on what all your friends were doing?
I was musical so it meant I could play instruments. That's probably why I was really good at music - cos I played all the time. But it wasn't like I wanted to stay in at break - I wanted to go out and play. Hay fever changed my life, I don't think I'd have been as good at music if I didn't have it.

Have you found anything to ease it?
Every year I have tablets. Hay fever is quite a big thing - I remember getting it on the beach, and the beach is the most unlikely place, but I still got it cos the pollen was in the air. I don't need the inhalers all the time now, but I have them in the summer. The doctors say I might grow out of it.

So the tablets are the best remedy?
The tablets make it a bit better. I have injections as well, which actually work. I started having them two years ago - they're the best, definitely, but I still get it. I get it on photo shots with the band and if you look at the single cover of What I Go To School For, you can see my eyes are a bit red and bloodshot. That's because of hay fever.

What advice would you give to other sufferers?
Don't ever rub your eyes, and take your medication because it does help. Get injections as well - they're good.