Ricky Gervais left the stage during his stand-up comedy show on Wednesday because he feared he was suffering a heart attack.
The comedian was performing at Colston Hall in Bristol, England, on the second night of his Humanity stand-up tour when he was forced to leave the stage and take a break because he felt unwell.
After 10 minutes, he reportedly returned to finish the routine and jokingly told the audience he “wasn’t dead”.
After the show, he revealed on Twitter he had a serious health scare, writing, “Thanks to the amazing audience in Bristol tonight. They even laughed when I thought I was having a heart attack. #Humanity.”
He assured fans it wasn’t part of the show and he was “absolutely fine”, proving the fact by taking a picture of himself holding a drink and pulling a funny face with the caption, “Not dead.”
Ricky also retweeted a number of messages from audience members, with one user writing, “When you initially think ‘No, it’s part of the gig’ but then worry @rickygervais has died ten minutes into the set…”
Another, who posted, “@rickygervais Was brilliant at Colston Hall tonight. Even managed 10 minutes of great bonus content when he thought he was dying.”
When he woke up on Thursday, Ricky shared another funny faced selfie from bed and revealed he wasn’t feeling his best.
“I don’t think I died, but I’m not a doctor,” he joked. “Think I’ve got a little bug of some sort. Blocked up, bit hot, sore stomach. Also I’m foaming at the mouth and terrified of water. Weird.”
He then took a topless selfie from below his stomach, which emphasised his belly, and joked, “Could be morning sickness.” Later in the day, he shared another humorous snap and assured fans that night’s gig would go ahead as he had slept and taken flu medication.
The 55-year-old’s Humanity World Tour, his first stand-up trek in seven years, is next scheduled to stop in York, England on Tuesday.