Idris Elba reveals he was terrified when taken seriously ill during flight to the South African premiere of Mandela biopic

Idris Elba, AKA Luther, AKA He Who Should Be Bond When Daniel Craig Retires, suffered a pretty serious-sounding health scare over the weekend. So much so that the Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom star was forced to miss a scheduled news conference in Johannesburg ahead of the premiere of his new film.
However, despite being hospitalised after falling ill on a plane headed to South Africa for the event, the British actor managed to recover in time for a red carpet appearance.
"I've battled asthma most of my life and it just overwhelmingly took me down on Friday, while I was sitting on a plane" he said to Sky News.

"It was a very scary moment for me. A doctor on the plane helped me through it. Thankfully, I am here."

 

Wowzer, we're glad to hear that Idris is feeling better. We're especially pleased that he was well enough to walk the red carpet for the Mandela biopic, which has led to whispers of Oscar success.
After receiving a standing ovation at the world premiere of Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom in Toronto last month, both Idris and co-star Naomie Harris (who shot to fame in Skyfall last year) have been tipped as probable nominees for the upcoming Academy Awards.

We guess we'll have to wait until the movie arrives in the UK in January before we make any Oscars predictions…