BBC Radio Devon: Michael Chequer sits in for David FitzGerald
On Thursday, BBC’s David Fitzgerald started suffering heart issues mid-broadcast and had to come off-air. Although there was speculation the presenter had left due to a heart attack, he’s since set the record straight.
After 30 minutes into his show last week, BBC Radio Devon listeners were taken aback when presenter Michael Chequer was forced to take over.
David was quickly rushed to hospital following a health scare, a day after finding out he was being made redundant.
Although he briefly addressed his “little health issue” in a social media post, the BBC star has since revealed what happened.
Returning to airwaves, David was quick to quash any rumours that had started to speculate.
Thanking people for their good wishes, he added: “Thank you for your all the inaccuracies, for an odd story to say the least.
“Can I set the record straight to say I did not have a heart attack.
“It is a thing called atrial fibrillation, which I know is fairly common. A lot of people got in touch to discuss their issues as well. It just means my heart went out of rhythm.”
In his opening message, the BBC presenter also thanked Derriford Hospital, where he was taken to following the scare.
Despite the presenter’s return, his wife Queenie has hit out at BBC bosses as she’s accused them of trying to tear down local radio.
Last week, she spoke to The Sun about the “dreadful” couple of days they were faced with.
She fumed: “Nothing different happened apart from being told he was being made redundant.
“When I told the consultant that David was made redundant and then expected to go on air, he agreed this was a potential trigger.”
It’s reported that as part of the recent cuts happening within the BBC, presenters who are part of local radio are being interviewed for new roles.
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Touching on David’s redundancy, a BBC spokesperson said: “Fitz is recovering well at home and is hoping to be back on air soon. We cannot comment on individual contracts.
“Many of our presenters will continue to present on local radio at the end of this process in new presenter/producer roles, but we appreciate change like this is really difficult and we are supporting our teams closely through this.
“Our aim is to achieve a better balance between our local online and broadcast services at a time when millions of people increasingly turn to their mobile-first for news and information.
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