Michael Buble has had to pull out of a planned performance at the BBC Music Awards after his three-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer.

Buble said he and his wife, Luisiana Lopilato, had put their careers on hold in order to devote their time to taking care of their little boy. The ‘Haven’t Met You Yet’ singer has cancelled his forthcoming appearance at the annual event, held in London on December 12, in order to be with his three-year-old boy Noah and his family following the announcement that the toddler is battling the disease. The Canadian singer was due to perform at the awards at the ExCel London on December 12 alongside Kaiser Chiefs, Emeli Sande and Lukas Graham.

Buble and his wife of five years, Luisana, made the announcement about their elder son Noah’s health on the singer’s Facebook page. They said: “We are devastated about the recent cancer diagnosis of our oldest son Noah who is currently undergoing treatment in the US. We have always been very vocal about the importance of family and the love we have for our children. Luisana and I have put our careers on hold in order to devote all our time and attention to helping Noah get well.

“We have a long journey in front of us and hope that with the support of family, friends and fans around the world, we will win this battle, God willing.”

As well as the BBC Music Awards, Buble is set to host the Brit Awards in London on 22 February (17) and the Juno Awards on 2 April (17). Currently, he is still billed to appear at both.

BBC Music Director Bob Shennan said: “We send Michael and his family our very best wishes.”

According to the Daily Mail, during a recent appearance on ITV’s Loose Women, Buble praised his children for giving him ‘perspective’ and said that he was unaware how much he would enjoy being a father. He said: “The only regret that I have in my life is that I took this long to have kids, because I had no idea the perspective it would give me.

“I had no idea how much I would love being a dad. That’s it, that’s all I care about… I love them too much probably, if there was such a thing.

“It’s made everything else so insignificant, moments that I was afraid of and moments that would overwhelm me have now become a joy because I’ve realised how not serious they are compared to what is really important, which is Noah and Eli and that’s it.”