Fans from near and far are rallying behind iconic comedian and actress Dawn French following her recent knee replacement surgery.

The beloved Vicar of Dibley star took to social media to share a post-surgery update from her hospital bed, and the response has been nothing short of overwhelming.

The response from fans was swift with social media platforms flooded with messages of love, encouragement, and well-wishes for the comedy legend’s speedy recovery.

French recently announced with a “heavy heart” that she was postponing her tour dates for her Dawn French Is A Huge Twat tour due to difficulties with her arthritic knee.

French’s health woes and years of pain and discomfort began after a seemingly innocent gag for her popular series, The Vicar of Dibley.

For those who fondly remember the beloved British sitcom, one of the standout moments was undoubtedly the scene in which Granger fell into a seemingly innocent puddle. This moment has become etched in the collective memory of viewers and remains one of the show’s most memorable and hilarious segments.

However, during a recent one-woman show, French revealed that behind the laughter was a series of painful years for the 66-year-old.

“One of the most enjoyable moments in my work life was being asked to jump in that puddle It seemed to tickle a few funny bones. So much so that it was repeated in another episode,” she told her audience recently, as per The Daily Mail.

“Honestly to this day, people still send me films of themselves jumping into puddles.”

While there is no doubt the scene is beloved by fans across the world and stands to this day as an iconic moment in comedy history, French spoke of how disaster struck when she was asked to recreate the moment during an appearance on The Paul O’Grady Show in 2009.

“They constructed a 10ft-high hill out of scaffolding covered in AstroTurf. The idea was that there was a long enough drop for me to disappear into,” she said.

“Then some bright spark had the idea of having a shallow silicon membrane containing two inches of water on top so that, as I jumped through, the water would splash up and look like a deep puddle.

“But what was I falling onto? The answer is absolutely nothing. Except for 10ft below there were two very thin crash mats in a film studio with a flat concrete floor. Any fool would know this was a disaster in the making. Any fool but me.

“The producers took me to show me and see if I was all right with it. And I replied ‘Of course I’m all right with it, I’m British’.”

French went on to reveal that after a considerable drop, she knew something wasn’t right.

“I went 10ft down and plump on to the two crash mats. One leg twisted very awkwardly underneath me and I landed very heavily. I heard the worst twanging noise you could ever imagine,” she said.

“I knew I was in trouble but I completed the sketch. I clearly felt like I’d rather die than admit weakness.

“The producers were asking if I was all right but I said I was fine. I drove five hours home to Cornwall trying to convince myself everything was all right but it wasn’t.”

Over the subsequent “painful years”, French met with a sports therapist who suggested eight weeks of rest for her knee.

He foresaw a future knee replacement and offered steroid injections to help relieve the pain.