Coronation Street star sparks concern as he pulls out of fan event at the last minute due to illness
Craig Charles, 60, was known fans for his 10-year stint as Lloyd Mullaney on the ITV show, but is also beloved for his appearance in another iconic cult show.
The actor had been booked to appear at London Film and Comic-Con on Sunday, having famously played Dave Lister in BBC sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf.
Fans had hoped to see him appear at the event alongside Danny John-Jules, Robert Llewellyn and Hattie Hayridge.
However, organisers took to Facebook on Sunday morning to confirm that Craig would not be attending the event.
In a post, which has since been deleted, they said: 'We contacted Craig at 9am to be be told that due to a family emergency he would not be in until 11am.
'At 11:30am we spent 20 minutes knocking on his hotel room door where there was no answer.
'His Red Dwarf colleagues were able to contact him at 12.30 where he confirmed he was ill and unable to attend. These are the facts.'
They added: 'The Group shot will go ahead with Danny, Robert and Hattie and ticket holders will receive an automatic £60 refund to allow for the change of line up.
'If anybody does not want the group shot, any unused tickets will automatically be refunded after the show.'
The post also included a video of organisers knocking on Craig's hotel room door, but it was taken down minutes later.
Hours later, Craig himself took to X to clarify that he had fallen ill and was unable to appear at the Con as planned.
He wrote: 'I'd just like to say sorry to showmasters and the fans at comicon. I made it to the hotel but woke up at 3 this morning with stomach pains.
Later in the afternoon, Craig himself took to X to clarify that he had fallen ill and was unable to appear at the Con as planned
'I then proceeded to be violently ill for hours. Not a pretty sight. I tried to see if it would wear off but at 10 am I called it off and came back to Manchester.
'I'm feeling slightly better now and I'm drinking lots of water and electrolytes. Again sorry for the cancellation and I look forward to next time.'
Fans were quick to share their well-wishes for Craig in the comments, writing: '
Fans rushed to the comment section to share their support, with one fan posting: 'Hope you feel better.
'You don't have anything to apologise for trust me someone that just got food poisoning two days ago I know exactly what you mean by coming down with something very quickly;'
'Take care of yourself. I've been watching you as Dave Lister since I was a child, Red Dwarf was and is still my favorite show.
'Lister inspired my love for curry and good tunes. It may be sad, but you were the closest thing I had to a father figure. Love from America, my guy.'
'As long as you're on the mend that's the main thing.'
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Craig Charles and London Film Comic Con for comment.
Red Dwarf originally aired on BBC from 1988 and 1999, which follows technician Dave Lister, who awakens after being suspended in time for three million years, to find that he is the last living human and he's alone on the mining spacecraft.
In 2009 the series was revived on Dave, and has since returned for four more series, and a 2020 special.
It came just days after fellow Red Dwarf star Chris Barrie pulled out of multiple public appearances due to a mystery 'medical situation'.
The TV star, 65, best known for playing uptight hologram Arnold Rimmer in Red Dwarf, was expected to reunite with his castmates at London Comic Con, but dropped out at the last minute, citing worrying health issues.
In a statement posted on his website, Chris told fans: 'Hello everyone.
'I'm going to be brief, but over the last week I have been dealing with a medical situation which I am only just beginning to get my head around.
He added that all planned appearances 'over the summer and into the autumn' have now been scrapped, leaving followers concerned for his well-being.
'Updates on all this will be issued as and when,' he added.
While Chris didn't go into detail about the nature of his condition, he did confirm he's still hoping to keep one date in the diary, a comedy appearance at Scarborough Unleashed on November 9.
He said: 'In the meantime I shall leave Scarborough on the itinerary for now and will look forward to returning there in the early winter.'
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