Frank Skinner tearfully reveals former co-host Gareth Richards is ‘fighting’ for his life

‘He is in hospital, but it’s not looking great,’ comedian said, fighting back tears

Frank Skinner tearfully revealed on his radio show that his former co-host Gareth Richards is fighting for his life.

The broadcaster broke down in tears on Saturday (1 April) while telling Absolute Radio listeners that Richards was involved in a “very big road accident” earlier this week.

He raised the subject at the end of his show, saying: “One thing you have to learn to do in this line of work is to put on a false front and the show must go on, and that’s what happened this morning.”

Fighting back tears, Skinner said: “Gareth was in a very big road accident this week and it’s not looking great for Gareth. He is in hospital and he’s fighting but it’s not looking great.”

Richards, who is a comedian, was reportedly in a serious collision near Heathrow airport on the M25.

The crash, which led to the motorway being shut for 10 hours, is believed to have included a lorry and two other cars between Junctions 14 and 15.

Surrey Live reported that a man was cut free from his vehicle and was taken to a major trauma centre. The Metropolitan police said on Tuesday (28 March) that the driver of the car’s injuries “have been assessed as life-threatening”.

Skinner hailed Richards as “a fantastic bloke”, adding: “I didn’t want to do this show without mentioning him.

“Many of you would have seen him live. Some of you will remember on the show, if you’ve been with us that long.”

Richards co-presented Skinner’s Absolute Radio show alongside Skinner and Emily Dean when it first launched in 2009. They became close friends as a result, and Edwards has supported Skinner on tour.

Comedian Gareth Richards is ‘fighting’ for his life (Instagram )

Richards’ brother is cinematographer Joshua James Richards, who won an Oscar and Bafta for Nomadland in 2021. He is in a relationship with director Chloé Zhao.

Skinner asked listeners who pray to “give one to Gareth this week”, stating:“I’m not going to pretend – it’s bad – but there is always hope.”