Popular TV presenter Stephen Mulhern has been forced to miss the first round of this year's Britain's Got Talent auditions after he picked up a nasty bout of Laryngitis.
Stephen, who presents the** BGT** spin-off show Britain's Got More Talent, took to his social media accounts to tell his fans how 'gutted' he was to be missing the shows, and revealed he's been put on vocal rest by his doctor.
He wrote, 'Morning! Absolutely gutted to be missing the first round of @BGT auditions this week in Blackpool! I am on doctor’s strict orders to rest my voice, after suffering a nasty bout of Laryngitis - first day off from the show in 11 years. Unbelievable!'. [sic]
He later added he will back for the London auditions when they go to the city later in the month. He wrote, 'I will be on mute until London auditions on the 27th Jan, look forward to seeing you all then!'.
According to the NHS, Laryngitis is when your voice box or vocal cords in the throat become irritated or swollen. This isn't what you need when you are trying to get the crowd going like Stephen does on the show!
His illness means it will be the first time Stephen has been absent from the Britain's Got Talent auditions, since the popular talent show first started back in 2007.
With his hilarious personality, the 40-year-old has become a fan favourite on the ITV2 spin-off show.
Fans of Stephen were quick to wish him well...
Although ITV are yet to confirm a start date for the new series of Britain's Got Talent, auditions for the 12th series of the show kicked off this week, with Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Walliams all returning to the judging panel.
Alesha Dixon shared her excitement for the new series in a post to her Instagram page last night. Sharing a photo of all four judges and popular presenting duo Ant and Dec, Alesha wrote, 'We have arrived in Blackpool & ready to get the @bgt show back on the road!!! #reunited #tvfamily #BGT #bgt2018'. [sic]
We can't wait for the new series!
Last year, pianist Tokio Myers was crowned the 11th winner of the show after his incredible performances throughout the series.
Tokio has since gone on to release his debut album 'Our Generation', which peaked at Number 4 in the UK Charts.
The new series of Britain's Got Talent is expected to return to ITV later in the year.
**Check out all of the winners of the show so far: **
RADIO Britain's Got Talent winners so far slider
1 of 13Paul Potts
Paul Potts won the very first show in 2007 with his hugely impressive singing abilities.
2 of 13George Sampson
Break dancer George Sampson won the show in 2008 at the age of just 14-years-old.
3 of 13Diversity
Dance group Diversity won the show in 2009, with Ashley Banjo going on to become a TV presenter.
4 of 13Spellbound
The 2010 series also saw a dance group win in the form of Spellbound, pictured here performing with singer Katherine Jenkins that year.
5 of 13Jai McDowall
Singer Jai McDowall won the show in 2011.
6 of 13Ashleigh and Pudsey
Dog performing act Ashleigh and Pudsey were winners of the 2012 series. However, Pudsey sadly passed away in July 2017.
7 of 13Attraction
Another dance group won over the public in 2013, as Attraction used shadows and puppets to create beautiful spectacles - pictured here with Terry Crews.
8 of 13Collabro
Singing group Collabro wowed viewers in 2014 with their performances of musical theatre songs.
9 of 13Jules and Matisse
Britain's Got Talent saw its second dog act winner in 2015 with Jules and Matisse.
10 of 13Richard Jones
Magician Richard Jones won the hearts of the nation in 2016.
11 of 13Tokio Myers
Pianist and music producer Tokio Myers won the show in 2017, pictured here with BGT judge Amanda Holden.
12 of 13Lost Voice Guy
Lost Voice Guy, real name Lee Ridley, won in 2018.
13 of 13Colin Thackery
Colin Thackery won Britain's Got Talent in 2019.