BBC confirms Andrew Marr is now conscious and eating

A BBC spokesman has issued an update on presenter Andrew Marr’s progress after suffering a stroke aged just 53, confirming that he is now conscious and eating.

Health fanatic Marr was rushed to hospital on Tuesday after falling ill at his home, prompting the BBC to issue a shock statement yesterday explaining that one of their star presenters was in hospital.

The gravity of the condition has kept Marr in hospital since with his family whom he is believed to have engaged in conversation, although doctors remain concerned that his condition could worsen once again.

James Lansdale will stand in for Marr on the Andrew Marr Show this Sunday for an interview with Ed Milliband, one of a series of major political interviews Marr was to have undertaken in the New Year.