Chris Evans was forced to pull out of his Radio 2 'Breakfast Show' at the last minute this morning (03.05.18) after his beloved mother sadly passed away.
The 52-year-old presenter was just minutes from going on the air waves when his colleagues were forced to stand in for him because he received a heartbreaking phone call informing him that his mum Minnie had sadly died at the age of 92.
His colleague Vassos Alexander stepped in for him and told listeners: "Chris isn't here. He has been here. But he had to go just before we came on air.
"And he's left a little note for me to read out to you. This is a little bit difficult for me because we are talking about one of my best friends here."
Despite his grief, Chris managed to pen a sweet tribute to his mum just before he left to be with his family that he'd asked his stand-in host to read out on air for him.
He said: "Good morning.
"The reason I'm not with you today is because just before we came on air my mum passed away and I needed to go straight back home to be with my family.
"But it's all OK, in fact it's very OK, mum needed to be at peace.
Moreover, she needed to be at peace. We have been ready for this for some time now, and as she has throughout her life, in death she has brought us together.
"She was an incredible woman. Anyone who has ever met her will tell you that and ultimately there was no battle lost, only a life won. Every single day.
"I'll be back tomorrow. If mum had the first idea I might not have shown up today because of her she would have been furious. I hope you have a lovely Thursday."
Minnie was known to fans as Chris often shared things about her on his social networking sites and she even made a few appearances at events over the years.
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