Tim Healy is written out of Benidorm after illness

Actor Tim Healy has been written out of Benidorm's ninth series due to an undisclosed illness.

The 64-year-old has flown home from Spain to Manchester, where he is understood to now be stable in hospital.

"Tim won't be appearing in episodes whilst he rests and gets better," a spokesman for the ITV show has confirmed.

Benidorm's filming schedule had been adjusted to deal with the actor's absence but his departure has now forced a rewrite of scripts for episodes that will air in 2017.

Healy has played cross-dressing character Lesley in the comedy since 2010.