Jack White has said there is “absolutely no chance” he will ever reform The White Stripes and said he would only consider it if he “went bankrupt”.

The singer, with whom you can read a world exclusive interview in the new issue of NME, has said that he can’t imagine ever feeling the need to reconnect with former bandmate Meg White and it “would be a really sad thing” if the duo actually reformed.

Asked if there was any chance he and Meg would reform The White Stripes, White replied: “I would probably say absolutely not. Absolutely no chance. I couldn’t see any reason to ever do that. I’m not the kind of person that would retire from baseball and come out of retirement the next year. I mean, if we went to all the trouble of telling people we’re done, we meant it you know?”

He continued: “If we were forced to change our mind about that, I can only imagine the reason being if we went bankrupt or really needed the cash, which would be a really sad thing. I would probably be issuing an apology along with the announcement of the show dates.”

White, who will release his debut solo album ‘Blunderbuss’ next month, added that he had wanted to make sure he had ended his former band before he began performing and recording under the name Jack White.

He said of announcing The White Stripes’ demise: “I wanted Meg to come to a decision with me and officially put an end to it. I said eventually – I had no plans at the time – but eventually I’m going to record by myself under my name, and I don’t really feel like going through the dumb perception battle of people who couldn’t be broad minded enough to understand the difference between Jack White and The White Stripes.”

‘Blunderbuss’ is scheduled to be released on White’s Third Man label on April 23. He’s due to play his debut UK solo show at London’s HMV Hammersmith Apollo on June 22, ahead of his slot at Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend (23-24). Prior to coming to the UK, White will be touring extensively across the US.