Peter Kay
The highest earning British comedian, Peter Kay, attended the University of Salford Wiki Commons

Peter Kay has cancelled his upcoming Peter Kay Live Arena Tour citing "unforeseen family circumstances".

The Bolton-born comedian was set to kick off his much anticipated tour in Birmingham on 21 April, 2018 but has now announced that he's not only calling off all UK tour dates but also dropping his entire work schedule.

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A statement published on Kay's Twitter account today (13 December) read: "Due to unforeseen family circumstances, I deeply regret that I am having to cancel all of my upcoming work projects.

"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. I've always endeavoured to protect my family's privacy from the media.

"I hope that the media and the public will continue to respect our privacy at this time. Once again, I'm very sorry."

The Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour... Now On Tour, was the 44-year-old's last outing in 2010. With 1.2 million people in attendance, it broke the Guinness World Record for the biggest selling comedy tour of all time.

He was all set for massive comeback after eight years until the surprise statement today.

Kay had initially announced 26 dates for the now cancelled Peter Kay Live Arena Tour, but due to huge public demand, it was increased to over 100 shows between April 2018 and June 2019.

Speaking previously of his return to the stage, he said: "I really miss it. I know how lucky I am to be making television series and have really loved these past few years working on Car Share, but I miss doing stand-up.

"As terrifying as it is, when it works there's nothing more fun and exciting. Plus, a lot has happened in the last eight years, with Trump, Twitter and my Nan getting her front bush trimmed at the age of 96.

"I can't wait to get back up on stage."

Last year Kay won two BAFTA TV Awards for Best Male Comedy Performance and Best Scripted Comedy for Car Share.

As he was all set to hit the road, Kay's net worth also shot up in recent weeks. The Sun reported how his two companies were earning just a little over £5,000 every day, helping his wealth surge from £27.7million to £29.6million.

The tickets for his show went on sale last month, and it was priced between £35 and £99.

In his statement today, Kay also added that customers would be refunded from the "original point of purchase and any specific ticket queries should be directed to them."