Chris Evans thanks listeners on radio return - BBC News
"It's not the loss that gets you, it's the love," the DJ tells listeners following his mum's death.
Chris Evans with his mother Minnie in 1996

Chris Evans has thanked listeners after returning to his Radio 2 breakfast show in the wake of his mother's death.

The BBC broadcaster pulled out of presenting his show on Thursday after learning Minnie Evans had died aged 92.

"Thank you to you guys," he told his audience on Friday morning. "It's not the loss that gets you, it's the love."

He went on to marvel at "so much love" being shown "for a lady you never met" while expressing gratitude to his "unbelievable" team.

"I shouldn't have expected anything less," he went on, paying tribute to sports reporter Vassos Alexander for stepping in to host Thursday's programme.

Vassos Alexander stepped in to host Evans's show on Thursday

"Anyway, we are back as Mum would have insisted we should be," Evans continued before proceeding with his show as normal.

He subsequently revealed he had listened to "his own show" on Thursday while stuck in "unbelievable" traffic.

"I know I'm sounding quite chipper today... but I'm just so happy that my mum's at peace," he went on.

Evans also expressed gratitude to the district nurses and care assistants who had tended to his mother in her final months.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Vassos Alexander reads out a message from Chris Evans about his mother's death

Listeners on Thursday heard Alexander read out a message from Evans explaining his absence.

"Just before we came on air my mum passed away and I needed to go straight back home to be with the family," the message said.

"She was an incredible woman. Anyone who's ever met her will tell you that and ultimately there was no battle lost, only a life won."

Listeners to Evans's breakfast show were often kept abreast of his mother's activities.

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