QI host on the mend from bronchial pneumonia

Sandi Toksvig has left hospital after being laid low with bronchial pneumonia while touring Australia.

The QI host thanked fans for their ‘kind words’ after she had to cancel the New Zealand leg of her stand-up tour.

‘I am now out of hospital and continuing my convalescence in Australia until I'm fit to fly home,’ she said in a statement posted on Twitter. ‘My undying (literally) thanks to the amazing Australian health service.’

The 64-year-old made her Australian stand-up debut last month and should now have wrapping up three nights in New Zealand.

On Saturday her team posted: ‘Due to illness, Sandi has cancelled the New Zealand leg of her tour. 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.’

The tweet prompted support from celebrity friends including Davina McCall, Jenny Eclair, Shaparak Khorsandi, Stephen K Amos, author Joanne Harris and LGBTQ campaigner Peter Tatchell.

Before heading down under, Toksvig said: ‘I am thrilled to finally come down to Australia and New Zealand to perform my new show for my fans down under. 

‘It has been a perilous time for live performance, but I am thrilled to be back on the boards. And leaving our winter for an Australian summer is a bonus, I can’t wait.’

Over Christmas she will present the Channel 4 special Sandi Toksvig’s Tiny Christmas Challenge in which  two teams of amateur crafters transformg an alpine cabin into the ultimate Christmas retreat.

Published: 7 Dec 2022