Chris Evans was forced to abandon his Radio 2 breakfast show at the last-minute on Thursday following the death of his mother, Minnie, at the age of 92. Listeners were shocked and saddened as the news was announced live on air, with Chris' colleague Vassos Alexander stepping in to share a heartbreaking message from the star. Reading the note out loud, Vassos said: "Good morning, says Chris. The reason I am not with you today is because just before I came on air my mum passed away and I needed to go straight back home to be with my family. But it's all ok, in fact it's very ok. Mum needed to be at peace.
Chris Evans pictured with his mum Minnie in 2000
"Moreover, she needed to be at peace for sometime now and, as she has throughout her life, in death she has brought us together. She was an incredible woman. Anyone who has ever met her will tell you that ultimately there was no battle lost, only a life won. Every single day. I'll be back tomorrow. If mum had the first idea I might not have shown up today because of her she would have been furious. I hope you have a lovely Thursday. See you tomorrow."
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Chris, 52, and his mum were incredibly close, and he once described her "hard as nails", noting that she even once had eye surgery without any anaesthetic. He would also regularly share stories about his mother with fans, including documenting her first ever taste of pizza at the age of 91 by sharing a photo of Twitter. He wrote: "My mum – 91 years young – first ever slice of pizza! She's broadening her horizons. 'It's time,' she says."
The star regularly shared stories about his beloved mother
The sad news comes less than a month after Chris announced that his wife is expecting twins, telling listeners that Natasha had been undergoing IVF fertility treatment in the hopes of having another baby. Chris broke the news during a chat with a fertility expert, while asking her for advice on raising twins. He said: "Mrs Evans is, she is. Double trouble, twin turbo. We have known for a while, obviously. She is definitely the mother, no doubt about that!" Chris also revealed that he had tried to break the news to the couple's five-year-old son Eli, admitting that the little boy "has got a shock and a half coming, he's got a double shock coming". He added: "We tried to tell him, he doesn't quite get it yet. Eli is mum's best mate. That is going to change, my friend."
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A post celebrating the news was also shared on Radio 2's official Twitter page. It read: "Watch out 2018, The Evans Twins are on the way…" Chris and Natasha have been married since 2007 and are already parents to sons Eli, five, and nine-year-old Noah. Chris is also a father to daughter Jade, 32, from his previous relationship with Alison Ward.