The Wanted have revealed Nathan Sykes and his "pretty little face" would have stayed with the band if he wasn't able to recover from his recent throat surgery.

The pop singer underwent surgery in April to remove a hemorrhaging nodule on his vocal cord, with the recuperation period originally set at months.

However, he made his return to the stage on Sunday June 9 at the Capital FM Summertime Ball at London's Wembley Stadium, much to the surprise of The Wanted's fans.

Bandmate Tom Parker says Sykes would have been a part of the band even if the procedure had been unsuccessful.

He told Britain's Daily Star: "He'd still be in the band whether he could sing or not. Look at him and his pretty little face. He'd still be on stage and look great and play piano."

Sykes revealed in a recent TV interview that he still has a way to go with his recovery.

He explained: "It was pretty severe. I was pretty scared for a while, it wasn't pleasant."

He added: "It's a lot better, there's still a bit of recovery to do, but slowly and steadily and all that."