Jeremy Clarkson was rushed to hospital last year for urgent heart surgery, and said he was now doing ‘everything in his power to not die’ in a bid to see his grandchildren grow up
Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson has opened up about his health after a terrifying hospitalisation last year.
In October, Jeremy, 64, sparked major concern after he revealed that he’d undergone heart surgery, and that if he hadn’t received medical attention when he did, it could have resulted in a fatal heart attack.
Jeremy described returning to his Cotswolds farm when he started to feel “clammy,” with a tightness in his chest and pins and needles in his left arm. Doctors fitted a stent in his arteries to keep them open during surgery, but warned him that a fatal heart attack could potentially still have been days away.
Now, Jeremy has admitted that he’s trying to take control of his health, inspired by the arrival of his second granddaughter, whom his daughter Emily welcomed in December.
In his Sunday Times column, he shared how he wants his time with his grandchildren “to go on for as long as is humanly possible.” The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire host added: “Which means I must do everything in my power to not die.”
Jeremy described his level of fitness waning over the years, sharing: “Michelangelo’s David burns more calories than I do when I’m out and about, so I continued to get fatter and more out of breath, and when you want to see your grandchildren grow up, that’s not good enough.”
The star explained how he tried multiple different ways to exercise, and has just discovered that his Reformer Pilates machine might be the right type of workout for him. “And that makes me happy because so far I’ve relied on luck to keep me alive. But I’m in sniper’s alley right now and I have to work at dodging the bullets,” he said of the work he does with his instructor.
Alongside exercise, Jeremy revealed earlier this month that he’s been under strict instructions to change his rich diet, which consisted of a heavy consumption of alcohol, red meat, and smoking.
“I do feel very well. I have been to see a dietician. The dietician has given me a pretty good list and said: “don’t eat processed food. If it’s got more than one ingredient in it, don’t eat it. I feel great.”
Reflecting on the experience, he confessed it was a wake-up call that made him think “that was close,” leading him to reassess his diet and lifestyle choices.
Pub landlord Jeremy has also had to make some booze cutbacks, despite being making no secret of his enjoyment of a few drinks. But even by his standards, however, he admitted that he drinks “far too much wine” with his partner Lisa Hogan, revealing that the couple would “usually get through at least two bottles a night.”
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