"Richard Wilkins, if you were a good journalist you would've done proper research instead of talking out of your ass," she wrote on Twitter. "Jimmy Kimmel was shot in February in LA and aired yesterday. I've been in Australia on bed rest and wouldn't have cancelled my Bruno shows if I didn't have to."

The online backlash was swift and brutal, with Wilkins forced to issue a public apology.

"Didn't mean to misinform," he wrote. "Assumed you were live with Jimmy K. Your fans and my son have severely castigated me!"

Dua Lippa pulled out of a handful of Mars concerts earlier this month for urgent dental surgery. In Brisbane she was replaced by DJ LeggoMyFuego.