Motorsport: F1 presenter and Drive to Survive star Jennie Gow suffers stroke

Jennie Gow has worked as a pitlane reporter for the BBC for over a decade. Photo / Getty

Jennie Gow, the BBC Formula 1 presenter and Drive to Survive star, has suffered a serious stroke.

The 45-year-old revealed she had been struck down over the new year and that her movement and speech were still badly affected.

A post on her Twitter account read: “Hi everyone, been quiet the last few weeks, this is because I suffered a serious stroke two weeks ago. My husband is helping me type this, as I’m finding it hard to write and my speech is most affected.

“I’m desperate to make a full recovery and return to work, but it might take some time. Thank you to the medical teams at Frimley and St Georges and my family and friends who’ve got me through the last fortnight X.”

Gow has been one of the voices of BBC’s F1 coverage for several years and has recently found wider fame as an expert in Netflix’s ground-breaking Drive to Survive series about the sport.

Heidi Dawson, Controller BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “Everyone at 5 Live is thinking of Jennie and is wishing the best for her and her family. We look forward to welcoming her back on air whenever she feels ready.”

Her announcement triggered a flood of well-wishes, with McLaren posting: “Wishing you a speedy recovery, Jennie. The entire team sends their love and strength as we look forward to seeing you back in the paddock.”

Aston Martin wrote: “Jennie, we’re all sending you lots of love and our best wishes for your recovery. We look forward to seeing you in the paddock again soon.”

A reply from the Twitter account for Silverstone read: “Sending love and strength to you and your family Jennie, from all of us at @SilverstoneUK. We hope to see you in the paddock again very soon.”

And another from the account for F1 itself read: “Thinking of you Jennie, and wishing you all the very best with your recovery, from us all at F1.”

The new F1 season is scheduled to begin in Bahrain on March 5.