Beloved comedian and actress Dawn French has announced the cancellation of her upcoming tour dates, citing health concerns as the reason behind her decision.

French, famous for her roles in classic sitcoms such as The Vicar of Dibley and her successful stand-up career, took to Instagram to announce with a “heavy heart” that she was postponing all remaining tour dates for her Dawn French Is A Huge Twat tour due to difficulties with arthritis.

Fans flooded social media with messages of support for the comedy legend, expressing their well-wishes and understanding of her decision. Many highlighted the importance of health and applauded French for prioritising her well-being.

“Totally understandable. Gutted we won’t be seeing you but health comes first. Hope the op goes well. We can all go to a trampoline park when you’ve recovered to celebrate,” one fan wrote.

“Poor you….hope you manage to get in for that op soon. Have a good, bloody swear!”

“Aww! I’m so sorry you’re in such pain! Sending you a big hug and love! I hope you have a safe surgery and a quick recovery.”

“Best wishes for rest and relief!” commented another.

“Most important thing is that you take all the time you need to get better ❤️ Second most important thing is to get a tiny little “naughty twatting knee” tattoo on it, third most important thing is to make sure you tell the surgeon to take care as you’re a national treasure.”

“Time to rest and get the knee sorted. Sending love as always.”

While fans patiently await the return of French to the stage, they can still relish the 66-year-old’s wit and humour in the pages of her delightful book, The Twat Files, in which she shares all her “faux pas” and “stupid decisions” from her life. 

French previously announced the project with a video posted on her Instagram account, shedding light on its inspiration and what readers can expect to find within its pages.

“Now, look, I’m known for a few things, aren’t I? I’m known for asking about titting about, of course, and funnying about something I’m not known for, if we’re honest, is perfection,” the 65-year-old says at the start of her video,” she said at the time.

“And so I’ve decided to write new book called The Twat Files. And in this book, I am documenting all the times in my life that I have been so far from perfect. In fact, all the times that I’ve been an utter twat.

“And there are many, many, many examples, more than I ever thought, alarming amount of times that I have made faux pas, mistakes, stupid decisions and got things very, very wrong.

“But look, the fact is that I’m sort of butting against being perfect, having filters and perfect angles.

“I’m saying let’s be flawed. Let’s celebrate the flaws and all the mistakes we’ve made. Let’s wear them like medals across our ample bosom.”