Taron Egerton exits West End play due to 'personal reasons'

Taron Egerton has dropped out of the lead role in a West End production.

Taking to Instagram on Friday, a representative for the play, C**k, announced that the Rocketman actor "has had to withdraw from the production due to personal reasons".

Joel Harper-Jackson will take over Taron's part, M.

"Joel understudied the role and has been playing the part of M for the past 10 days while Taron was absent from the production having tested positive for Covid," the spokesperson added.

The 32-year-old temporarily exited his role after contracting Covid-19 on 23 March.

When he first tested positive, play organisers said they expected him to return the following week.

Joel also took over when Taron fainted on stage during the show's opening night early last month.

"As some of you may have heard, I passed out during the first performance of C**K last night. I am completely fine," he wrote on his Instagram Stories after the incident. "I've decided to put a positive spin on it and I would appreciate it if anyone who was in the theatre last night just said that I gave such a committed, electrifying performance that my body couldn't handle it and checked out. That being said, apparently, you're meant to actually do the full show and not just three-quarters of it."

Taron has not yet commented on the decision.