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Only Fools and Horses star John Challis cancels tour due to secret illness

John Challis has cancelled his upcoming tour after completing one date.

The Only Fools and Horses star was set to do a 30 day tour up until November, but he was reportedly advised against it.

The 79-year-old, who played Boycie on the show alongside Sir David Jason, has been forced to completely cancel the upcoming show following “ill health”.

A statement from the tour promoter A Way With Media confirmed the cancellation of the show as they said: “Due to ill health, John’s tour is cancelled with immediate effect.

“He completed the first show of his present tour, intending to continue. However, he has been advised to cancel further engagements.”

John has had to cancel his upcoming show
(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images for Neil Reading PR)

The Sun stated that it is believed that John was only told mere days ago that he shouldn’t complete the tour.

John is yet to comment on his illness, instead his socials have been filled with the news that he was given an honorary citizenship in Serbia.

It comes after he made a documentary titled Boycie In Belgrade as part of the celebrations for Only Fools and Horses success in Serbia.

John is best known as Boycie on Only Fools and Horses
(Image: Press Association)

He said: “It’s just as popular out there as it is here. A local DJ said it was the only thing that made them smile during their terrible wars.

“I think people identify with those characters and the stories. They love Boycie, Trigger, Del Boy, Rodney… they have murals of them all over the place.”

As a thank you, he was given an honorary Serbian citizenship, leaving John “flabbergasted”, and he praised the news on social media too as he shared his excitement.

It has been said that before they had access to the internet, Serbian channels played Only Fools and Horses on repeat, which ultimately resulted in many residents becoming huge fans of the show.

John’s tour surrounds his time on the show with anecdotes from his career
(Image: PA)

In the UK, the first episode of the show aired on September 8, 1981, and despite coming to an end, there are still people who are big fans of the show now.

The character of Boycie gained so much popularity that John continued to tour, with his award-winning Only Fools and Boycie show becoming a smash-success, but sadly it cannot go ahead this year.

John previously stated he was looking forward to his tour after theatres closed due to the pandemic, but he was only able to take part in one show before it had to be cancelled.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk


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