Gay Byrne has said he has "no plans" to return to air at present as he recovers from prostate cancer and a double hip replacement.
The broadcasting legend and wife Kathleen Watkins were among the guests at for the opening night of Enda Walsh's play Ballyturk at the Abbey Theatre on Monday night, where Byrne told The Irish Sun that he is "doing what I'm told and maintaining the treatment".
"I am coping at the moment and what happens, happens," said the 82-year-old.
When asked about returning to his much-loved RTÉ lyric fm show on Sunday afternoons and TV series The Meaning of Life with Gay Byrne, he replied:
I have no plans to go back on air. I will get about through today and then I will face tomorrow when it starts.
He also paid tribute to the support he has received from his family and his fellow broadcasters in RTÉ.
"Everyone has been so kind," he continued. "Ryan [Tubridy] and Joe [Duffy] call in regularly. They call in on an informal basis, we see each other regularly."
"I've had the most wonderful, fantastic, robust, good health all my broadcasting life," he told listeners. "It's my turn now... Many, many people [are] much worse off. Thank you for your good wishes."
Byrne suffered a heart attack in December 2015 but returned to work just weeks later.
Gay also recently underwent two hip operations in the space of a few weeks but is said to be recovering well.
In a statement RTÉ said it wished the legendary broadcaster a speedy recovery and said it hopes to see him back at work very soon.
All Gay's friends and colleagues in RTÉ wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming him back in the coming weeks.
He has been a towering presence in Irish broadcasting for almost six decades. Following his retirement in 1999, the former Late Late Show host has continued to broadcast on radio with his weekly lyric fm jazz show and on television with his Meaning of Life series, which sees him interview people in the public eye about their beliefs.
