The cause of BBC Radio Devon’s heart issue has been revealed after his wife admitted she is fuming with the broadcaster.
David Fitzgerald was set to present his usual morning show on Thursday, however, the broadcast was interrupted, as he was ‘feeling under the weather’.
The radio host, who presents the morning programme, was on air for only for half an hour before Michael Chequer stood in.
At the time, Michael told listeners: “It is Thursday morning, Michael Chequer in for David Fitzgerald who is feeling a little under the weather. He has left the studio to get himself checked out. He is absolutely fine, we will keep you updated and let you know. He will be back with you ASAP”.
A BBC spokesperson also told the Mirror: “Fitz is recovering well at home and is hoping to be back on air soon.”
After being forced to leave the BBC Radio studio to undergo a medical examination, David took to Facebook on Friday to reassure fans he was doing okay and wrote: “Just a little heart issue this morning, on the radio… thank you Derriford.”
However, his wife has now hit out at the BBC, claiming that it was their fault that her husband had the heart issue while on air.
David's wife took to social media to share her thoughts on the situation, revealing that the presenter was being made redundant the day before he was rushed to the hospital.
Replying to a listener about his return, she said: “Unfortunately this won’t be the case he was told yesterday that he is being made redundant and then expected to go on air today as if nothing had happened. Talk about cruel.
"As his wife, I’m bl***dy fuming with the management of BBC Radio Devon. After talking to the consultant today, it’s very possible this was the trigger for his heart problem."
After David's wife's scathing comment, a BBC Spokesperson has since said: "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.
"The changes see no reduction in funding or overall staffing levels across our 39 local bases in England.”
Devon Live reports that David has worked for Sky News and covered every major world event from the arrest of O.J. Simpson to Waiko and the Oklahoma bombings.
He reported on the death of Diana Princess of Wales, the war in Bosnia, General Elections, Royal Weddings and every major headline-grabbing story for seven years.
Recently he wrote for Spitting Image, won The Olympic Committee's award for television production for The Red Arrows Documentary and even appeared as a question in Trivial Pursuit.
