British funnyman Stephen Fry snubs champagne over fears it could spark an asthma attack.

The actor/author is a longtime asthmatic and is forced to turn down glasses of bubbly in case it triggers potentially life-threatening breathing problems.

He says, "Christmas parties are generally a lot of fun but I have to make sure that I avoid champagne because it triggers my asthma symptoms.

"People don't always realise that there are all sorts of different triggers for asthma, including plenty of things that are in abundance during the festive season.

"Champagne can leave a lot of people feeling poorly the next day but for me it is far more serious because it could trigger a potentially fatal asthma attack."

Fry suffered an attack at a film screening last month (Nov12) and had to ask fellow guests for an inhaler to ease his breathing problems.