Gareth O’Callaghan needs ‘time to recover’ after family involved in road crash

The broadcaster will not be on air this Saturday, his wife Paula told followers on Twitter.

"Last Sunday Gareth, myself and my daughter were involved in a road crash,” she revealed.

“Gareth won’t be on air this Saturday morning. We all just need time to recover. Life is fleeting, make the most of each day, it can all be taken away in a moment.”

Fans have sent well-wishes to the radio star and his family following the news.

“Wishing you all a speedy recovery,” one said, while another added: “Genuinely shocked to hear this after everything else ye have been through recently!! Hold each other close, work can wait.”

Another said: “I hope you are alright, enjoy the weekend and hopefully he will be back on the air next weekend, or whenever he feels up to it.

"Take care and look after yourselves.”

In late December, the beloved radio presenter was forced to undergo two surgeries following a “freak accident” that left him in hospital until the New Year.

In a tweet, Paula explained that her husband: “Was bringing the bins out and the bin slipped.”

“Gareth’s fingers were caught around the handle.. His fingers are in a very bad way, and he has had two surgeries since Saturday.. Please send positive vibes.”

The well-known Classic Hits host has been open about living with multiple system atrophy – a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, identifiable by symptoms affecting parts of the nervous system that control involuntary action.

He has previously told Ireland AM on Virgin Media One that the illness progresses until “you are literally incapable of doing anything.”

“If you can imagine everything that you do every day, you’re slowly losing the ability to do that,” he said.

Last year, Gareth shared that he had begun Japanese therapy in an effort to prolong his health while also taking medication to overcome his nausea.

“Because there’s nothing you can do for the illness, there’s absolutely nothing to stop it or cure it I’ve been looking up some new treatments,” he said.

"We came across a hydrogen therapy treatment in Japan. This is frontline medical treatment, where you inhale molecular hydrogen through a cannula and I do that most nights.

“It would be very easy to give up and I think if you give up, really the only person you’re letting down, apart from your nearest and dearest, is yourself.