Chris Evans pulls out of Radio 2 show at last-minute after death of 'incredible' mother

BBC Radio 2 host Chris Evans pulled out of his live show moments before going on air after his mother died.

The star left a brief statement, read out by his last-minute stand in sports reporter Vassos Alexander, just prior to his show going on air that his mum, Minnie, 92, has passed away: ‘Just before we came on air my mum passed away and I needed to go home to be with my family.’

He hailed his mother as ‘incredible’ after finding out she had died only moments before his morning show was going live.

Despite living a fulfilled life, she was 91 before she tried her first piece of pizza, after Chris tweeted out the moment early last year – much to people’s delight.

‘My mum – 91 years young – first ever slice of pizza ! She’s broadening her horizons. “It’s time,” she says.’

‘But it’s all OK, in fact it’s very OK. Mum needed to be at peace,’ Evans’ statement continued.

Minnie raised Chris, 52, and siblings David, and Diane in Warrington, while working two jobs and boasted a nursing background.

The radio and TV presenter was particularly close to his mum, as she even appeared on the revamped series of TFI Friday when it came back on telly in 2015.

’She was an incredible woman, anyone who’s ever met her will tell you that. And ultimately there was not battle lost, only a life won every single day.

‘If Mum had the first idea I might not have shown up today because of her, she would have been furious.’

He did, however, vow to return to air tomorrow, as Vassos thanked the legions of listeners who had sent in well wishes for Evans.

‘We will of course pass them on to Chris and his family’, he said.

Fans were also quick to tweet out their condolences, too.

Last year, Chris revealed that he had sought the advice of his mum, after he was revealed as the BBC’s highest earner, with a salary of £2.2 million.

He said his mother told him to ‘earn what you can, when you can, while you can.’

‘I called my mum’, he told listeners.

‘She’s 91, she’s very wise, she was in the war, and I asked her what she thought.

She said: ‘Hang on a minute love, let me just turn the telly down’, she was watching Columbo on catch-up at the time, as she often is.

‘Tell them that your mum, who’s a nurse for most of her life, always told you after your dad died to try to find a job you loved, just like I love nursing, and earn what you can, when you can, while you can…

‘And tell them if your bosses don’t think you’re worth it one day, they’ll sort that out soon enough.’

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