BILLERICAY comic Lee Evans has announced he will retire to spend more time with his family.

Evans, 50, said he would quit after the last gig on his current tour at the end of this month.

Evans, also an actor, who appeared in several Hollywood movies, told TV presenter Jonathan Ross the death of his beloved manager Addison Cresswell, from a heart attack, had "put things in perspective."

He added: “I want to go and see my wife.

“She deserves my time. I’ve been working solidly.”

Former Billericay School pupil Evans shot to fame in the Nineties with his manic brand of comedy.

His 2011 Roadrunner tour earned a massive £12.9million.