Chris has to cancel tour after collapse

CHRIS REA was forced to cancel his concert in Brighton last night following his on-stage collapse on Saturday evening.

The Driving Home For Christmas singer, who is in the middle of his The Road Songs For Lovers tour, was playing a gig at the New Theatre in Oxford when he fell to the floor midsong.

Not long after it was confirmed he was unable to make the date at the Brighton Centre.

A spokesman for the 66-yearold released a statement yesterday revealing: “Unfortunately Chris Rea has had to cancel tonight’s show at Brighton Centre due to illness. A decision about the outstanding date on his UK tour on December 12 at Bournemouth International Centre will be made in the near future.”

Shortly after the incident, Chris – also famed for his The Road To Hell hit – who had a stroke last year and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2001, was said to be in a stable condition.

Concerned concertgoers in Oxford took to social media to describe the drama.

One said: “He just collapsed on the stage backwards. There was no one there to catch him, he just fell into a clump.”

Another said the Middlesbrough-born star had been “slurring his words a lot through the song beforehand”.

Speaking in August Chris said of his health: “I had a stroke exactly this time last year and I stopped smoking.

“I’m fine when I’m sitting down, I’ve just got a little bit of balance – it’s a bit dodgy, just in case anyone thinks I’m drunk on-stage.”