The Chase star Jenny Ryan revealed she underwent major surgery after taking a brief break from her TV commitments. On Thursday (July 2), the 44-year-old brainiac took to Instagram to share a health update with her loyal legion of fans. Alongside a lengthy post, the fiery redhead shared a series of snaps of her fresh scar on her neck from her hospital bed.

She began: "You might notice my new scar. You'd be hard pushed to not spot it, given it's right on the front of my neck. As much as I'd like to have an exciting and glamorous reason (old-timey duel, Olympic fencing practice, near miss with a guillotine), the reality is not so sexy.

"My thyroid gland made a bid for fame and got so big it started causing some problems, so we* chopped it out." The pro-quizzer went on to reassure fans that she is healing well despite suffering from a croaky voice.

Ms Ryan insisted: "I'm fine. Surgery was all good, and the consultant is very happy. My voice still works, and it's healing nicely. I had to stay quiet for a couple of weeks in case my head fell off**, but we are grand now. Thanks to the head and neck gang and all the terrific people who looked after me at UCH. The NHS is beyond wonderful."

It didn't take long before her loyal legion of fans flocked to the comments to pass on their well-wishes to the star online. One user penned: "I'm glad to hear you're recovering well!! The NHS is such a treasure [six heart emojis]."

Another agreed: "I'm glad the surgery went well! I hope your recovery continues to go smoothly [heart emoji]". A third echoed: "Get well soon, Jenny. I had mine removed on the 18th June and totally agree, the NHS were fantastic. I'm forever grateful."

It comes after the Bolton native opened up on the demanding journey she undertook to earn her place on the ITV quiz show. Recognised as The Vixen on the teatime quiz show, the TV star faced competition from fellow quizmasters for the position across a six-month timeframe.

The selection process commenced following her appearance on The Weakest Link, where she competed as a civilian. Over six months, she went through several auditions before going through a screen test alongside host Bradley Walsh. Discussing the process on The Final FronTia podcast with Tia Kofi, she stated: "It wasn't an easy process.

"I had been on the quiz circuit for quite a long time, and I had known The Beast [Mark Labbett] for many years before he got the job. I had kind of seen everyone else come through the ranks of the competitive quiz world and wondered when my audition was, and it was a really tough process; it was six months' worth of auditions before they decided I got the job."

Having been acquainted with someone who had applied to work for MI6, Jenny claimed the recruitment process for The Chase appeared even more demanding. She chuckled: "It's harder than getting into MI6!"