Patti Newton has denied rumours her husband Bert has had emergency heart surgery as she flew out of Melbourne to be by his side in Singapore.
Patti said her much-loved husband, who is overseas performing with the stage show Wicked, had possibly suffered a relapse of pneumonia from which he suffered last June and has been having tests in hospital.
"I'm feeling very positive," Patti told media waiting outside her Melbourne home earlier today.
"You know he had pneumonia … It's probably just a bit of a relapse."
Patti said his biggest worry is the rumour mill.
"He's just a bit concerned about all the hype," she said.
Newton has taken a break from performing in Wicked until the sickness clears.
He will be rested until Tuesday on advice from his doctor.
"I'll be back fighting fit if not at the weekend, I'll on stage by Tuesday," he said in a statement issued by Channel 9.
"Because of the fact I had pneumonia last June, I need to be extra careful when a cold strikes to ensure it doesn't become anything more serious.''
Unconfirmed reports suggested Newton has had a stent put in to correct a heart problem, which led to speculation his illness was heart-related.
Newton was hospitalised last year with pneumonia, which forced him to delay joining the Wicked stage production, in which he plays the Wizard.
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