The comic actor is waiting to undergo surgery on damaged cartilage in his right knee, which has made his rehearsals for tomorrow night’s show a painful slog.
Before hosting last year’s bash, he suffered a scratched cornea which left him with blurred vision as he took to the stage.
But James has vowed to battle through the pain tomorrow with the help of some heavy-duty cortisone injections.
Speaking on my Xfm radio show yesterday, he said: “My knee is killing me. I’m waiting for an operation but there’s nothing I can do until I’ve finished my run of One Man, Two Guvnors at The Strand.
“I’ve been getting injections and I’ll have to make sure I don’t do any more damage on the night.”