Julie Andrews went into depression after she lost her singing voice in 1997 surgery

Singer Julie Andrews revealed that she went into devastating depression after she lost her legendary singing voice post an operation in 1997.

"When I woke up from an operation to remove a cyst on my vocal cord, my singing voice was gone," she told AARP The Magazine, as reported by the Daily Mail on Wednesday, cited Fox News.

"I went into a depression," said the 34-year-old singer. "It felt like I'd lost my identity."

It was during a Broadway show that she discovered her voice was unusually hoarse. She then had surgery to remove what she initially believed were "non-cancerous nodules" from her throat.

However, post the surgery she had permanent damage that destroyed her four-octave soprano singing voice.

Later, it turned out Andrews was suffering from "a certain kind of muscular striation [that] happens on the vocal cords" after she strained her voice.

According to the outlet, Andrews has since attempted several operations to repair her voice but wasn't successful.

She credited writing with helping her cope with her health woes.

"By good fortune, that's when my daughter Emma and I had been asked to write books for kids," said Andrews. "So along came a brand-new career in my mid-60s. Boy that was a lovely surprise."

"But I do miss singing," continued Andrews. "Yes. I really do. I would have been quite a sad lady if I hadn't had the voice to hold on to. The singing was the most important thing of all, and I don't mean to be Pollyanna about how incredibly lost I'd have been without that."

Despite losing her legendary singing voice, Andrews has kept busy acting. Not only is she starring in a new TV series titled 'Bridgerton,' but she's releasing a memoir titled 'Home Work' on October 15, reported Fox News.

Andrews credited her English background for staying employed.

Still, Andrews is grateful for the various opportunities she has received in Hollywood.

"I don't know what ['Mary Poppins'] writer P.L. Travers thought," said Andrews. "She said to me, 'You're very pretty, and you've got the nose for it.' I'm sure she laughed all the way to the bank. She was very tough and canny."

While there's no denying Andrews' decades-long career as an actress, she does have a hidden talent.

"I'd love to be able to paint," she said. "I'd love to be a good cook, but I'm rotten. I don't have the patience for it. But I have to say, I'm a very good whistler. A lot of singers are."

( With inputs from ANI )