Gogglebox's Jenny Newby is having an operation in hospital, her co-star and best friend Lee Riley has revealed.
Lee said Jenny "isn't very well" and is having a "mini" operation, as he walked the red carpet at the BAFTA TV Awards on Sunday.
It comes after fans were concerned about Jenny and Lee not appearing on Friday's episode of Gogglebox, with no explanation or warning.
Speaking to the Daily Star on the red carpet, Lee said: "She is not very well, she is having an operation, a mini one, but she is recovering well though.
"She was invited but the appointment was in BAFTA week.
"You can't turn down an NHS operation down can you? But she is doing well."
While the other Gogglebox regulars featured on screen, Jenny and Lee were absent shortly after Lee returned from a recent getaway to Cyprus with his boyfriend Steve Mail.
The pair, who live in Hull, have kept us entertained with their best friendship since 2014, with their quick quips, excellent side-eye reactions and brutal digs at each other.
They lifted the nation's spirits in lockdown when it emerged they'd moved in together to self-isolate so the show could go on.
Elsewhere in Friday’s episode, Gogglebox viewers have called for Mary Killen to be axed from the hit Channel 4 programme in the wake of comments she made about Boris Johnson.
Mary and her partner Giles Wood watched Good Morning Britain’s sit-down interview with the PM earlier this week, in which Susanna Reid grilled him on the cost of living crisis.
In the interview, the GMB presenter asked the PM about the stark situation of a pensioner who has been forced to cut down to one meal a day and ride the bus for heating in order to make ends meet.
The couple were discussing 77-year-old Elsie’s case, as she said her gas and electric bills had soared from £17 to £85 a month.
Mary said: “I am very sorry for Elsie but Susanna is making out it is Boris' fault and like he doesn't care.”
Giles then asked her: “Whose fault is it?,” to which Mary replied: “Well it is the global situation.”
Mary’s comments angered a number of loyal Gogglebox fans, who took to Twitter to call out the sentiment, as one demanded: “Get rid of Mary.”
Another viewer posted: “Mary cries her eyes out at nothing every week until it comes to real stuff. Then all she can do is defend Johnson. Horrid woman."
While another chimed: “Can someone remind Mary that Boris Johnson runs this country and it absolutely IS his problem and his fault that an elderly women is riding a bus to keep warm bcos her heating bill has risen more than 4x!”
