Childish Gambino confirms shock stroke that caused him to cancel his world tour
Danny Jones
Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, has revealed that a stroke caused the cancellation of his Manchester gig and the rest of the shows on his world tour last year.
The multi-talented artist, actor, comedian, writer, filmmaker and jack-of-all-trades, who goes by the Gambino moniker in the music world, was scheduled to play a UK leg as part of his globetrotting series of live dates in 2024.
However, just over a month into the run, which kicked off in August, the 42-year-old musician didn’t just postpone the tour but had to cancel it altogether for the foreseeable future after falling ill on stage.
It has now been confirmed that the reason for this was a stroke, and also a serious problem with his heart, which required surgery.
Detailing the incident to a crowd while playing at fellow rapper Tyler, the Creator‘s Camp Flog Gnaw festival this past weekend, ‘Gambino’ delivered the shocking news in a very matter-of-fact manner.
Confirming the stroke and a hole in his heart live to the LA audience on Saturday, 22 November, Glover began by stating that he was having a really good time on the tour, before adding: “I had a really bad pain in my head in Louisiana, and I did the show anyway.”
“I couldn’t really see well”, he continued, “so when we went to Houston, I went to the hospital and the doctor was like, ‘You had a stroke.'” Yep, as simple as that.
He even went on to joke that he was copying fellow actor and singer Jamie Foxx, who also suffered a stroke back in 2023, which presented as a bad headache – one of several sudden signs of a hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke.
You can see the clip down below.
Childish Gambino reveals that he had a stroke and a hole was found in his heart and is why he had to stop his tour pic.twitter.com/YxeQYBWDBA
— Dat (@DatDaDatty) November 23, 2025
After visiting the hospital, it was then discovered that he had a hole in his heart, sometimes referred to as a septal defect.
The Stone Mountain-raised musician ended up needing two procedures to fix the problem and is now, thankfully, in good health and able to perform live once again.
Nevertheless, he’s not taking anything for granted after the severe health scare, telling fans on the night: “They say everybody has two lives and the second life starts when you realise you have one; you got one life, guys, and I gotta be honest, the life I’ve lived with you guys has been such a blessing,” he told fans.
His Manchester show at the AO Arena is still yet to be rescheduled, as are any of his UK dates, but we’re glad he’s not only back on the mend but back doing what he does best.
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Featured Images — Amazon Music (screenshot via YouTube)/Press shot (supplied)
Kids can now send their Christmas lists to the North Pole as Royal Mail’s Santa Mail returns for 2025
Emily Sergeant
Children all across the UK can now send their Christmas wish lists directly to the big man himself in the North Pole.
That’s because Royal Mail’s hugely-popular Santa Mail scheme has returned for 2025.
With just over a month to go until Christmas Day is officially here, Royal Mail is once again helping to make festive wishes come true by lending a helping hand to one of its most special customers, Santa, just like it has done for more than 60 years.
The postal service will be sending children’s letters and Christmas wish lists directly to the ‘North Pole’ this year.
Santa’s team of helpers at Royal Mail are gearing up to deliver the hundreds of thousands of letters sent to him by children from all across the UK.
With the very busy Christmas period ahead – one of the busiest times of the year for the postal industry, by far – Royal Mail is encouraging children to get their letters written and sent as soon as they can – with the cut-off date being no later than Wednesday 10 December.
To send your letters to the ‘North Pole’, you need to pop them in a stamped envelope and send them to this special address:
Santa / Father Christmas,
Santa’s Grotto,
Reindeerland,
XM4 5HQ.
Don’t forget to include your name and full address on your letter, so that Santa knows where to send his replies back to.


“Royal Mail continues to play a cherished role in the nation’s Christmas traditions,” commented Lisa Luveniyali, Royal Mail’s Chief Elf, who oversees the safe delivery of children’s letters to Santa at his magical grotto in Reindeerland.
“For over 60 years, we’ve proudly helped Santa manage the thousands of heartfelt letters sent by children across the UK.
“Our dedicated team of festive elves especially love seeing the wonderful wishes children share, and helping Santa send his replies.
Read more:
- Dazzling Christmas light trail to return to Chester Zoo with new installations this winter
- Heaton Park to host dazzling new immersive light trail this winter
- Trafford Centre announces return of its ‘festive wonderland’ grotto this Christmas
“Just remember to include a stamp, your full name, and address so Santa knows where to send his response.”
Featured Image – KoolShooters (via Pexels)