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| Andrew Marr |
Andrew Marr, one of the BBC's most prominent and popular broadcasters, has suffered a stroke.
The veteran journalist, 53, was
taken to hospital on Tuesday evening after falling ill at his London home.
He was said to be responding to
treatment, and his condition was not thought to be life-threatening.
Colleagues were left stunned and
concerned when the BBC issued a statement at around 7pm which revealed Marr's
illness.
The corporation said: 'Andrew Marr
was taken ill yesterday and taken to hospital. The hospital confirmed he has
had a stroke.
'His doctors say he is responding to
treatment. His family have asked for their privacy to be respected as he
recovers.
'We will continue to broadcast The
Andrew Marr Show and Radio 4's Start The Week with guest presenters in his
absence. His colleagues and the whole BBC wish him a speedy recovery.'
It is understood that Marr's family
are with him at the hospital. It is believed he has been conscious and talking,
but there is still concern as the condition of stroke sufferers can fluctuate,
particularly in the early stages.
An insider, who said there were 'a
lot of shocked people at Broadcasting House', admitted it was too soon to say
what the long-term implications would be for the broadcaster’s health and
career.
The former BBC political editor, who
lives in East Sheen, south-west London, interviewed the Prime Minister David
Cameron at the weekend on his Sunday morning show on BBC1.
Labour leader Ed Miliband was also
due to appear on The Andrew Marr Show this Sunday in his first big political
interview of 2013. However, the BBC said that James Landale will stand in to
present it.
Deputy PM and Lib Dem leader Nick
Clegg was lined up to follow next week, as part of Marr's traditional round of
New Year grillings with Westminster's big beasts.
He is known to be a fitness fanatic and takes regular exercise wherever he is filming. He is a keen runner and always abstains from alcohol during January.
The BBC's Acting Director-General
Tim Davie said: 'I am very sorry to hear the news about Andrew. I wish him a
speedy recovery and hope to see him back at the BBC soon.'
Last night major figures in news and
the arts wished the presenter well. Author Salman Rushdie said: 'So sorry to
hear about Andrew Marr's stroke. All the best to him and his family and here’s
to a full and speedy recovery.'
Labour leader Ed Miliband said on
Twitter: 'My thoughts are with Andrew and his family. Hope he gets well soon.'
Marr's BBC colleague Andrew Neil
tweeted: 'Very distressed to hear news about Andrew Marr. Best wishes for a
full and speedy recovery.'
Also on Twitter, former Conservative
MP Louise Mensch said: 'Joining in the chorus of well-wishers for Andrew #Marr.
Hope he has a speedy and full recovery.'
Marr and his wife, journalist Jackie
Ashley, have been married for 25 years and have a son and two daughters.
Marr is an acclaimed journalist,
broadcaster and author. He wrote and presented his own History of Modern
Britain and The Making of Modern Britain for BBC2, which were hugely popular
with viewers and won prestigious awards from the Royal Television Society, the
Broadcasting Press Guild and BAFTA.
His more recent offerings include
the Diamond Queen documentary and his most recent show, History of the World
was broadcast on BBC1 before Christmas. A book accompanies the series, A
History of the World.
Born in Glasgow, Marr went to school
in Scotland and gained a first-class degree in English from Cambridge
University.
He began his career in journalism on
The Scotsman newspaper in 1981, later moving to London to become its political
correspondent.
Marr was part of the team which
launched The Independent in 1986 and returned as its editor, after a stint at
The Economist magazine.
He was then a columnist for The
Express and The Observer before making the move into television, as the BBC's
Political Editor, in May 2000.
He has also presented a number of
history programmes along with his politics show and has had five books
published.
In May 2011 it emerged that he had
taken out a super-injunction to prevent the reporting of an affair.
He won a High Court order in January
2008 to silence the press following his extra-marital affair with another
national newspaper reporter.
He admitted he had taken the step as
he said he felt 'uneasy' about it as a journalist.
The woman with whom he had the
affair is a political journalist who has a daughter. Since their fling, some
nine years ago, her name has appeared widely online.
Mr Marr is considered young to have
suffered a stroke, as the vast majority of the 150,000 people who suffer the
attack every year in England are over 65.
According to NHS figures, in
England, strokes are a major health problem, and are the third largest cause of
death, after heart disease and cancer.
The brain damage caused by strokes
means that they are the largest cause of adult disability in the UK, but it
also possible to make a full recovery.
Joe Korner, director of
communications at the Stroke Association said: 'We are deeply saddened to hear
about Andrew Marr's stroke and our thoughts are with him and his family at this
hard time.
'One hundred and fifty thousand
people have a stroke every year in the UK and around a quarter of these are in
people of working age.
'A stroke happens in an instant but
the effects can often last a lifetime. However with the right care and support
it is possible to make a recovery and return to a life after stroke.'
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