Renowned actor Benedict Cumberbatch recently disclosed that he underwent a covert surgical procedure following a severe surfing mishap.

The 49-year-old British star, who was spotted at the Cannes Film Festival in May with his arm supported in a sling, suffered a shoulder injury from “overdoing” his beloved surfing hobby. After enduring over a year of discomfort, he opted for surgery to address the issue.

During an appearance on the SmartLess podcast, Cumberbatch explained, “I picked up surfing in my forties, and as I’m nearing the end of this decade, I still feel like a beginner.”

He continued, “I had a minor operation, so I’ve been out of the water for about six months. But I truly enjoy it.”

Discussing the nature of his injury, Cumberbatch elaborated, “Years of improper use, coupled with surfing in less-than-ideal conditions, led to the damage.”

He revealed, “I suffered a torn rotator cuff and subsequently a frozen shoulder, which was only discovered when I went in to repair the rotator cuff, which was completely torn. I endured chronic pain for roughly a year and a half.”

Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed he secretly underwent surgery following a brutal surfing injury (pictured in August)

The English actor, 49, who was seen with his arm in a sling at the Cannes Film Festival in May (pictured), damaged his shoulder as a result of ‘overdoing’ his favourite pastime and went under the knife after spending over a year in pain

The Doctor Strange star first ‘really fell in love’ with riding the waves when he was stuck in New Zealand amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 after shooting the western movie The Power Of The Dog.

He said: ‘It was a bit scary to begin with, but utterly magical and extraordinary.

‘One of the best places on Earth to be, as it turned out. And there was a little right-hand break in Te Awanga in Hawke’s Bay. It was where I learned. I really fell in love with it.’

Benedict, who shares sons Christopher, 10, Hal, eight, and Finn, six, with his wife Sophie Hunter, also loves how surfing brings together unlikely groups of people.

He said: ‘I fell in love with the view of the coastline. I fell in love with that connection to the ocean, how present you are and the community as well.

‘This extraordinary group of people where all is kind of forgiven – as long as you don’t take their wave.

‘You know, the drug dealer would be there, and the head of the local police force would be there. Just all of human life was around you.

‘I can’t explain to anyone who hasn’t surfed what that feeling is, of nature giving you a ride from somewhere out in the ocean towards the shoreline. It’s just magic when it works.’

Speaking on the SmartLess podcast, he said: ‘I started in my forties, and I’m near the end of my forties, and I’m still feeling like I’m starting. But I had a short operation, so I haven’t done it at all for about six months. But I love it’ (pictured in January)

Of his injury, he added: ‘I had a torn rotator cuff and then also a frozen shoulder on top of it, which I only found when I went into it to do the repair to the rotator, which was a complete tear’ (pictured this month)

It comes days after Benedict insisted that his three sons won’t be going to boarding school after he was educated at the £64,000-a-year Harrow School.

Speaking to Daily Mail’s Richard Eden about his kids going to boarding school, he said: ‘Not unless they really want to, but no way.

‘And Sophie [feels] the same. Selfishly, I want them around – I still want to be there, in case the call comes, [when] the fall happens, I wanna be there.’

He does, however, praise his alma mater, whose alumni include Winston Churchill and pop star James Blunt, for its ‘amazing facilities and very structured timetable’.

Harrow is a boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18 and was founded in 1572 under a Royal Charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I.