Peter Kay has released a rare statement after asking three hecklers to leave his gig in the Manchester AO Arena on Saturday.
The comedian, 51, gave a statement to Good Morning Britain explaining the situation. It read: "There comes a point when dealing with repeated hecklers simply isn't enough. It's not something you ever want to do but it becomes a point when it's no longer fair to everyone around."
During his show, Peter had two hecklers removed from the arena after one man repeatedly shouted the comedian's catchphrase, 'garlic bread' throughout the show. Though he received a warmer reception at first, the continuous disruption led Peter to have the man and his son removed from the show.
Another heckler was also removed from the audience, with Peter Kay commenting that she looked like Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley, on the way out, which reportedly caused some backlash on social media.
In the statement, Peter also responded to this, saying: "I didn't realise it was an insult. She did look remarkably like Lisa Riley, I didn't realise that was an insult."
Lisa Riley herself also spoke out. Taking to Instagram, she uploaded a post that said: "Keep calm and laugh", while penning in the caption: "It's a laugh, it's funny!!!"
© InstagramShe additionally uploaded another defence of the comedian to her Instagram story this morning, that read: "PLEASE [praying emoji] draw a line under this now, I am not offended, never was offended.
The former You've Been Framed presenter continued: "I love Peter Kay to pieces. Laughter is my favourite medicine."
Peter Kay's very private family life
When he's not on the stage, Peter keeps his life with wife Susan and their children very private.
The couple are thought to have met at a nightclub in Bolton in 1998, and they married three years later. Though he's only made a few comments about their relationship, the 51-year-old did describe one of his early dates as a "disaster".
Peter and Susan welcomed their eldest child Charlie in 2001, allegedly named after her late father. They are also thought to have two more children, but the pair have purposefully kept them out of the spotlight.
He was due to return to the spotlight with a tour in 2018-2019 after settling down in his home in Ireland, but Peter's highly-anticipated comeback was stopped by "unforeseen family circumstances".
In December 2017, he released a statement to X, formerly Twitter, that read: "Due to unforeseen family circumstances, I deeply regret that I am having to cancel all of my upcoming work projects."
He continued: "This, unfortunately, includes my upcoming stand-up tour, Dance for Life shows and any outstanding live work commitments. My sincerest apologies. This decision has not been taken lightly, and I'm sure you'll understand my family must always come first."
Commenting on his family's life away from the public eye, he added: "I've always endeavoured to protect my family's privacy from the media. I hope that the media and public will continue to respect our privacy at this time. Once again, I'm very sorry."
He then announced his later return to the spotlight in 2022, with a surprise reveal that he would be hosting his first new live stand-up tour in 12 years.
