Comedian and actor John Bishop will not be appearing in the Wales Millennium Centre run of Mother Goose, the pantomime in which he stars opposite Sir Ian McKellen, after the sad death of his mother, Kathleen.
The centre's website confirms that the Liverpudlian star is on compassionate leave and the show, running from Tuesday, March 28 to Saturday, April 1 at the Cardiff Bay venue, will instead feature Holby City and RSC actor Gabriel Fleary in John's place.
John confirmed that his mother had passed away in a touching Instagram post on March 23, revealing that she'd recently been to see him in Mother Goose and had enjoyed a brilliant singalong.
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He wrote: "Two weeks ago my Mum came to see me in Mother Goose in Liverpool and joined in the sing a long at the end as I knew she would. This morning we said goodbye to her and we will never hear her sing again.
"As a family we are heartbroken. She was a mother, a grandmother and a great grandmother and she loved us all. Next week she would have been married to my Dad for 62 years and they had a love and a friendship that was beautiful to be around.
"We want to thank all of the brilliant staff at Whiston Hospital on ward 3C who could not have done more and provided exceptional care for us all.
"Anyone who has lost a parent will understand when I say it is a pain like no other. I will never have another mother but I will be eternally grateful for being lucky enough to have had the one I did. Good night Mum, your were our sunshine"
Ticketholders to the Cardiff run have been contacted about the change. To get the latest email updates from the What's On WalesOnline team, click here.
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