The BBC presenter Andrew Marr has suffered a stroke, though is said to be “responding to treatment,” according to a statement released by the corporation. Marr was taken ill on Tuesday (January 8, 2013) and was taken to hospital, where it was confirmed that he had suffered a stroke.

According to The Mirror, a source close to Marr said that it was “a scary time for him and his family,” though thankfully, the 53 year-old TV presenter and political expert is responding well to treatment. It is believed that he is still able to speak, which is a good indicator that a patient will recover from a stroke. “His family sound positive and he seems to be recovering well,” said the source. His wife Jackie and three children have been with him for the past 48 hours, whilst he recovers in hospital.

A statement from the BBC read “We will continue to broadcast The Andrew Marr Show and [his Radio 4 programme] Start The Week with guest presenters in his absence. Colleagues and the whole BBC wish him a speedy recovery.” An unnamed source at the BBC told them “With strokes it is difficult to know the full prognosis for some time but we are working on the assumption we will need guest presenters for his shows for a few weeks at least. And then we will see what happens.” Marr is one of the BBC’s most high profile presenters, a well-respected political correspondent and presenter of history programmes such as The Making of Modern Britain and Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain.