Nelson explained: "I wanted to let my followers, radio listeners and all my Soul Nation party-people know that I'm going to be taking a little break from my work commitments.

"Some of you may already have noticed that I've not been on my daily Radio 2 slot this week."

He continued: "After a routine check-up I was advised to have some follow up tests. As a result, I will be taking some further time off. As I'm sure you can appreciate with health issues, it's important to deal with facts and not speculate.

"So I'm concentrating on getting better, being back to 100% me and to getting back behind the mic and the decks."

Earlier this week, Nelson received a special prize at the Television and Radio Industries Club (Tric) awards, recognising his broadcasting career across radio and television.