Peter Kay has cancelled his Dance For Life tour due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
The comedian, 46, broke the news in a statement, less than a month after confirming he would be returning to the stage with his epic dance-a-thon to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
Peter’s Dance For Life Tour would have been his long-awaited return to the spotlight after cancelling all of his work commitments in 2017 due to ‘unforeseen family circumstances.’
Tragic: Peter Kay has cancelled his Dance For Life comeback tour which was scheduled to begin next month, due to the coronavirus outbreak (pictured in 2017)
He said: ‘Obviously this is disappointing news but well and truly justified given the circumstances. We’ll get through this, together and then we’ll all have a great big dance for life. Stay safe and look after yourselves and the people around you.’
A further statement from Peter said: ‘Due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and following Government advice, it is with deep regret that the forthcoming Peter Kay’s Dance For Life shows are being postponed.
‘We are looking to schedule the shows so please hold onto your tickets as they will be valid for the new dates.
‘We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but the safety of the public is paramount.’
Sad news: Peter announced the sad news in a statement, but did confirm that the tour dates would be rescheduled
Bad news: Peter announced the news in a statement to fans just weeks after first revealing his comeback tour
Exciting news: Last month the comedian announced that he would be returning to the stage in April to DJ at six charity dance-a-thon events
Last month Peter announced that he would be returning to the stage in April to DJ at six charity dance-a-thon events.
A post to the comedian’s Twitter page this morning announced that the Dance For Life event – to raise month for Cancer Research UK – would return with Kay as the DJ in April and May.
Since his self-imposed hiatus, the Lancashire-born comic has rarely been seen in public but has promoted charity events.
Big return: The Dance For Life event – to raise month for Cancer Research UK – was planned to return with Peter as the DJ
The Dance for Life JustGiving page stated that Kay ‘was returning to the decks’ for the events in Manchester, Liverpool and London.
He told Bolton News: ‘I’ve honestly never had so much fun as I had working on Dance For Life.
‘The atmosphere was so happy and positive; it really is a great way to raise money for the worthiest of causes. All people have to do is turn up and dance.’
Peter’s last stage appearance was when he spoke to an audience gathered to see a charity screening of his BBC comedy Car Share in April 2018.
Absent: Since cancelling his tour and all work commitments due to ‘unforeseen family circumstances’ in 2017, Peter has been rarely seen (pictured in late December)
The three screenings were to raise money for The Lily Foundation, supporting children with mitochondrial disease, that the Phoenix Nights star had ‘first-hand experience of’.
While he was first spotted Peter was photographed for the first time in eight months on December 27 when he made an appearance at the Crewe Lyceum Theatre to watch X Factor star Chico and iconic duo Canon and Ball in a production of Peter Pan.
TV personality Chico posted a picture of the four men together on his fitness page with the caption: ‘When Peter Kay pops in to see us #panto with the legends that are Cannon and Ball life is complete.’
On December 29 he was seen looking in high spirits as he smiled for a photograph at the final performance of Nativity! The Musical in London.
Kay posed for the snap alongside the show’s director Debbit Isitt, who later posted the photo on her Twitter page alongside a caption about the star.
She penned: ‘So lovely to see the brilliant comic genius Peter Kay and his lovely family tonight for our final show! What a lovely surprise for us all!’
This came hours after Peter broke his social media silence to slam Channel 5 for using an ‘incredibly misleading title’ for a documentary on his life and career.
‘Peter Kay: In His Own Words’ aired on the channel, but doesn’t feature any new interviews with the comedy legend.
A strongly-worded statement posted on the funnyman’s official Twitter account hours before the programme aired stated that Peter wasn’t involved with the two-hour documentary in any way.
Earlier this year, the star confirmed that he’s laid out plans for a movie version of Phoenix Nights – while speaking in pre-recorded footage shown at a charity screening of the series, The Sun reports.
He said: ‘People always ask, ‘Will there be more Phoenix Nights?’ and I can now confirm there won’t — but I am thinking of a film.’
Rare sighting: In April 2019, Peter was seen on a tram in Blackpool. He was snapped grinning with the driver and conductor of the tram