Russell Brand has cancelled a sell-out show at the Derby Assembly Rooms this evening after revealing that his mum Barbara is suffering from breast cancer, having previously battled the illness before.

The comedian pulled out of the gig for his Messiah Complex tour a day after he also cancelled shows in Coventry and Glasgow, citing "family reasons."

Brand told his fans about his mother's diagnosis earlier this week in his daily YouTube show The Trews.

"My mother has currently got breast cancer," he said, adding that she had been attending NHS support groups that she found useful. The topic came up as Brand talked about how the NHS was "being destroyed" by budget cuts. He also discussed how media sensationalisation of cancer wasn't useful to sufferers like his mother.

The 38-year-old touched on the diagnosis with his followers on Twitter as well, saying: "Sorry to eff you around with gigs. My mum ain't well. Tix will be honoured or refunded."

Russell Brand reveals his mother is battling breast cancer again