Dick Van Dyke was forced to pull out of a comedy event at the last minute due to illness

According to PEOPLE, Arlene made a speech where she introduced herself as "not the Van Dyke you're expecting".

She went on: "I have to inform you that Dick is not up to coming to celebrate with us today. I'm sorry.

"When you're 99 and a half years old, you have good days and bad days ... and unfortunately, today is not a good day for him, and he's sick that he can't be here."

The actor appeared on a livestream but Arlene added she was "pretty confident" her husband would make the next event "in person".

Speaking about how much Vandy Camp means to her husband, Arlene said: "It is a celebration of your childhood, all of our childhoods, the music that's in the fabric of all of us, [and] Dick Van Dyke is a big part of that."

Calling her husband's fans "the greatest human beings I've ever known," she added, "These Vandy Camp [events] are a wonderful opportunity to have you all in the same room and meet each other."

And, Arlene - who married Dick in 2012 - praised her husband saying that "being around him just as a human being has made me a better person".

She added that he had given her "so much confidence to be able to stand up here right now," further explaining, "I would never be able to do this maybe, like, a year ago, but I've had so many experiences pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and right now I'm out of my comfort zone.

"But I have to wear my big girl pants and hold the reins without Dick here as the safety net that he's always here with me."