BBC’s Andrew Marr to make first public appearance since suffering a stroke in January

BBC presenter Andrew Marr is to make his first public appearance today since suffering a stroke seven months ago.

The broadcaster will speak at the Edinburgh International Book Festival to launch an updated version of his book, ‘The Battle for Scotland’, ahead of the referendum for Scottish independence due to be held in 2014.

Marr has admitted he is “frankly lucky to be alive” after a major stroke in January. He spent two months in hospital and underwent extensive physiotherapy to help him walk again.

He made his first return to television in April as a guest on his own show on BBC Two, where he explained his stroke had been the result of overwork and an intensive session on a rowing machine.

"I did the terrible thing of believing what I read in newspapers, because the newspapers were saying what we should all do is take very intensive exercise in short bursts.”

The next morning, he woke up “on the floor unable to move”.

Marr is a former editor of The Independent, and was the BBC’s political editor between 2000 and 2005. He was voted the UK’s top political reporter in a 2010 survey of senior journalists and 1,000 members of the public.

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