Marcia Hines Taken To Hospital, Misses Penultimate Episode Of 'Australian Idol'

25 March 2024 | 8:58 am | Mary Varvaris

Marcia Hines returned to 'Australian Idol' this year as a judge alongside Amy Shark and Kyle Sandilands.

Marcia Hines

Marcia Hines (Credit: Riccardo Raiti)

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Marcia Hines was taken to hospital before taping last night’s (24 March) live finale – the first of two parts – of Australian Idol at Sydney’s Coliseum Theatre.

Hines returned to the reality singing competition series this year as a judge alongside Amy Shark and Kyle Sandilands and was set to perform last night. Guy Sebastian replaced her on the judging panel and performed his latest single, Antidote, with Sam Fischer.

A production source told East Coast media (via The West Australian), “Marcia had a medical emergency and was rushed to hospital”. According to reports, she experienced a medical emergency in her dressing room.

At the time of writing, it’s unclear what happened, with staff on-site told the incident had to do with her type 1 diabetes, while media sources report she collapsed and injured her head.

In an Instagram post, Hines said of her absence, “I’m very sorry that I’m not there with you all tonight. It’s been a big few days of work and I was feeling a little unwell. I’m resting up now so I can be back with you all tomorrow night (for the grand finale).”

Host Ricki-Lee shared the news of Hines's illness with the audience in the theatre and at home, stating, “You will have spotted that we are missing someone very important and very special to the Idol family. Unfortunately, Marcia is unwell and unable to join us tonight.”

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Sandilands added, “Sorry, sorry. That’s a real downplay. She was taken out of here in an ambulance. Just so that everyone knows: She’s fine. She’s well. But she didn’t just ring up with a headache – she went down.”

The Music wishes Hines well and hopes she feels better soon.

Tonight, the winner of this year’s season of Australian Idol will be revealed, with three finalists awaiting their fates: Broome’s Amy Reeves, Rockhampton’s Denvah Baker-Moller, and Northern Rivers singer Dylan Wright.

The Australian Idol finale airs at 7:30 pm on Channel 7 and 7plus tonight.