Clarkson will be out of action for ‘some time’ following pneumonia diagnosis

Jeremy Clarkson has said he will be “out of action for quite some time” after being diagnosed with pneumonia.

The Grand Tour presenter, 57, was admitted to hospital on Friday after falling ill during a family holiday in Majorca.

He posted a message on Drive Tribe on Sunday which said: “Thanks for all the good wishes.

“And to keep you up to date, I’ll be out of action for quite some time apparently.

“It’s really really annoying because I’ve never had one day off work since I started in 1978.”

Clarkson’s co-presenter Richard Hammond tweeted a link to the message and joked: “Wow. I didn’t know he had a job.”

A spokesperson for The Grand Tour said: “Jeremy Clarkson was admitted to hospital on Friday morning during a family holiday in Spain and is being treated for pneumonia.”

He had planned to return to work after his holiday.

The illness comes two months after Hammond was airlifted to hospital when his car crashed while filming The Grand Tour.

He posted a picture on Instagram showing May with his hair standing on end, and quipped: “The only functioning member of the Grand Tour team right now.

“God help us.”

The NHS website describes pneumonia as “swelling (inflammation) of the tissue in one or both lungs”, which is usually caused by a bacterial infection.

Other types include viral pneumonia, aspiration pneumonia, fungal pneumonia and hospital-acquired pneumonia.

The condition affects around eight in 1,000 adults in the UK each year and it is more widespread in autumn and winter.