Kay breaks silence after scrapping £40m tour
PETER Kay broke his silence last night after disappearing from public view three months ago when he cancelled a £40million tour.
The comedian announced a charity screening of new episodes of his hit TV show Car Share at Blackpool Opera House to raise funds for The Lily Foundation.
He said he had ‘first-hand experience’ of the charity, which helps children with a deadly illness.
The father- of-two said it would show four episodes of the BBC1 sitcom, adding: ‘The Lily Foundation is an inspiring charity that helps to improve the lives of children with mitochondrial disease. I’ve had first-hand experience of the foundation’s work and I’m proud to raise both awareness and much needed funds.’
Kay, 44, axed his first national tour in eight years in December, citing ‘unforeseen family circumstances’. He had been due to perform 112 shows between April and March 2019.
The screening of his Bafta-winning TV show will include the premiere of two new episodes, Car Share: Unscripted and the hotly awaited series finale.
The second series of the comedy, about two colleagues who share the journey to and from their office, ended on a cliffhanger last year as John, played by Kay, failed to respond when Kayleigh (Sian Gibson) said she loved him.
Even though Kay revealed he was ‘ angry’ about the ending, he announced that he had no plans to write another series. His tweet last night was his first public comment since December 14 when he dropped his stand-up tour, saying ‘family must always come first’.
At the time he offered his ‘sincerest apologies’ and said the decision had ‘not been taken lightly’, adding: ‘I’ve always endeavoured to protect my family’s privacy from the media. I hope that the media and the public will continue to respect our privacy at this time. Once again, I’m very sorry.’
The Lily Foundation was set up by Liz Curtis in memory of her daughter, who died of mitochondrial disease at eight months.
The genetic condition affects the body’s cells and can cause heart, liver, kidney, breathing, sight and hearing problems. All cells in the body contain mitochondria – the tiny ‘ power stations’ that supply the energy every cell needs.
When they are damaged, the cells lack energy and the body’s organs and tissue do not work properly.
‘I’m proud to raise awareness’