Comedian Rob Coleman has been forced to cancel his attempt to cross the Atlantic in a pedalo.

The comic was due to tackle the 3,000-mile journey with pedalling partner James Mouland just after Christmas – but has been forced to pull out after being diagnosed with an illness.

He said he was ‘devastated’ by the news, scuppering his chance to become the oldest person to have achieved the feat.

The 46-year-old said: ‘In the last few weeks, I have picked up an illness which, while not in any way threatening or difficult to deal with on land, would make my participation in such an extreme undertaking potentially very dangerous both for myself and my pedalling partner.

‘You need to be in prime condition for a challenge of this nature and this ailment makes it reckless in the extreme for me to go to sea.’

Although he preferred the details of his illness not to be made public, Coleman said: ‘Basically I'm pretty much OK, just apparently not seaworthy.

‘Naturally, all sponsors have been offered their money back.

‘We are both bitterly disappointed. A number of people have put a huge amount of work into the project and we were only a few weeks from the departure date. Equally, I'm grateful I found out now rather than a thousand miles off shore.’

The pair would have been only the fourth duo to pedal an ocean, using a 26ft x 6ft boat to cross from the Canaries to Barbados. They had aimed to raise £50,000 for the Alzheimer's Society from the adventure.