Sandi Toksvig, the former host of The Great British Bake Off, has been admitted to hospital after being diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia.
The comedian, who hosted the Channel 4 baking show for three years, is currently in Australia as part of her live tour, but was forced to cancel the New Zealand leg due to illness.
The tour, which was Toksvig’s first in Australia, was due to continue in Christchurch on Sunday (December 4), but her team confirmed that the priority was to get Sandi “home to the UK.”
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“Due to illness, Sandi has cancelled the New Zealand leg of her tour,” read a post on the comedian’s Twitter account. “She has been admitted to hospital with bronchial pneumonia while still in Australia and is unable to travel & perform.
“Our main priority is getting her home to the UK as soon as she is well enough - Team Toksvig,” concluded the statement.
In response to the post, which saw many fans wish the QI host a speedy recovery, one user noted that the comedian wasn’t in full health for Monday’s show in Sydney.
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“Saw her show in Sydney - she said she wasn’t 100% but you wouldn’t have known it. I now have an indelible memory of Sandi in maestro gear with her back to the audience facing a galaxy of stars as she led a full house in conducting Ode To Joy. Breathtaking!,” they wrote.
Several fans expressed their best wishes for Toksvig, with one writing: “Please give Sandi our best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery, and tell her that we hope to see her here in the future.”
The Women’s Equality Party, the organisation co-founded by Toksvig, also tweeted their support, writing: “Sending love to our co-founder @sanditoksvig and her family, and wishing her a speedy recovery.”
The Great British Bake Off airs on Channel 4 in the UK. In the US, it's known as The Great British Baking Show, and streams on Netflix. Bake Off: An Extra Slice, hosted by Tom Allen and Jo Brand, airs on Fridays at 8pm on Channel 4.
Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
