Andi Oliver breaks silence on Christmas Special being cancelled after health struggle | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV

Andi Oliver, 58, delighted fans last Christmas when she took to BBC Two with her show, A Taste Of Christmas With Andi Oliver, and she also presented the Great British Christmas Menu in 2020. However, this year, Andi has confirmed that she won’t be appearing in any Christmas Specials after undergoing a serious operation.

In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, Andi explained: “I’m not doing a Christmas Special this year because I have slowed myself down a little bit because I have been in hospital.

“I had quite a big operation. So I am taking it slowly this year, which is quite odd for me but it’s important to look after your body and your mental health as much as it is to look after your career.”

Andi revealed that she underwent a hysterectomy because doctors discovered she had “really bad fibroids”.

Thankfully, she says she is “doing great” and her recovery is going well.

She continued: “I have to say, congratulations to my body, I am very proud because I have recovered really quickly.

“I am 60-years-old next year as well so I am quite impressed with how well I have recovered from quite a big operation.

“I’m taking it slowly, doing my exercise and following orders which does not come naturally to me!”

Thankfully, her friends on the Great British Menu had been “great” and she describes their bond as “really familial”.  

In the new series, Andi’s aim is to get people from different communities cooking together and sharing their stories.

She went on: “Most people in this country have a story if they look back that spans oceans and islands.

“Community means everything to me so we are creating these dinners because when you look at a plate of food you understand how all those different ingredients got there.  

“It tells you so many different stories, it opens up worlds, it opens up universes and that’s what I’m going to be doing around the book next year. 

And of course, the new series of Great British Menu will be coming out which Andi is currently wrapping up filming.

She also confirmed that she will be doing some more Food Unwrapped: “I do have quite a few irons in the fire, I’m just taking them quite gently and moving slightly more slowly than I am used to, which is already pretty fast.”