'Slurring' Smith sparks health fears

Rex Features

Mel Smith has prompted health fears after slurring on an edition of Celebrity Mastermind.

The comic actor struggled with the pronunciation of some words during his appearance on the quiz show, which aired on BBC One on Wednesday.

However, a BBC spokesperson claimed that 56-year-old Smith merely had a throat infection, saying: "Mel did it for a charity and didn't want to let [viewers] down, despite not being well."

Smith was previously taken ill in 1999 after taking more than 50 Nurofen tablets, suffering two burst stomach ulcers as a result.