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Comedian Bob Mortimer was recovering in hospital tonght after undergoing a triple heart bypass operation, the Mirror can reveal.

The 56-year-old Shooting Stars comic, who makes up half of comedy double act Vic and Bob, has been forced to cancel the pair’s 2015 tour after today’s surgery.

They had been due to take to the stage in Glasgow in just under a fortnight to mark their 25th anniversary.

A spokesman for the star said last night: “Bob would like to thank his Consultant and all the nursing staff at the hospital for looking after him so well.

“He now needs several weeks to fully recover, so unfortunately the first leg of the UK tour will be cancelled.

“Bob very much hopes to be fit and well enough to perform the second leg in January next year.”

Bob was surrounded by “immediate family and close friends” as he recovered tonight.

A source said: “He underwent a scheduled operation yesterday, after being admitted to hospital on Monday evening.

“He has been visited by his family and a few close friends, but since the operation the most important thing is for him to rest.”

(Image: PA)

Bob lives in Kent with his wife, Lisa, and their two teenage sons, Harry and Tom.

After the operation, Bob’s relieved comedy partner Vic Reeves told the Mirror: “I’m so pleased the operation has gone well and Bob is fixed. Many thanks to the surgeon.”

The former solicitor has spoken in the past about suffering from chronic arthritis, a painful condition which he regularly took steroids to aid.

Doctors had warned he could even be confined to a wheelchair.

The Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) star admitted the ailment worsened in times of stress, telling Radio Times in 2002: “The wife and the kids provide my exercise, but I have to be careful because I have rheumatoid arthritis all over my body.

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“The doctors can only give you steroids and statistics, such as ‘there’s a one-in-ten chance you’ll end up in a wheelchair’. (My mum is crippled with it.)

“Whenever I do a show, there’s a price to pay. I’ve started to suffer from iritis, which is when it attacks the iris of the eye. It was absolute agony, but I’m not going to give in.”

Following the operation, Bob, a confessed smoker, will need to recuperate over several weeks, which makes it impossible for him to start scheduled rehearsals for next month’s gigs.

The tour, titled 25 Years of Reeves and Mortimer – The Poignant Moments, would have been the slapstick duo’s first live shows for 20 years.

Next month’s dates have been cancelled, but it is hoped that the second leg in January and February will go ahead as planned.

All ticket holders for performances this year between November 8 and December 4 are advised to contact their point of purchase for a full refund.

Cancelled shows

November: Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Blackpool, Birmingham, Cardiff, Sheffield, Bristol, Portsmouth, Plymouth

December: Sheffield, Ipswich, Nottingham, Brighton

What is a heart bypass

A heart bypass is used to divert blood around a blockage in an artery supplying oxygen to the heart.

The blockages are caused by a build-up of fatty deposits called plaques.

The procedure involves taking a blood vessel from another part of the body – usually the chest, leg or arm – and attaching it to the coronary artery above and below the blockage.

The NHS does about 20,000 of the operations, also known as coronary artery bypass grafts, in England every year.

Most are carried out on men and about 80% of patients are at least 60 years old.

People who smoke, are obese or have a high-fat diet are particularly at risk of needing the operation.

The number of bypasses needed depends on how many blockages a patient has. Recovery takes between six and 12 weeks.