Jeremy Clarkson shares sad details of heart health scare that nearly killed him

Daily Mirror

12 hours ago

Jeremy Clarkson has opened up about the health scare he endured last year while on holiday - which led to him requiring emergency surgery and the insertion of a stent
Jeremy Clarkson has shared fresh details on a holiday incident that left him "days from death". The TV star was panicked in 2004 when a trip abroad resulted in a health scare.
Jeremy, 65, suffered a health emergency in 2024 which resulted in emergency heart surgery, including the insertion of a stent. The Clarkson's Farm star was holidaying in the Indian Ocean when disaster struck.
‌
Now, almost a year on, the star has shed more light on his terrifying health emergency - revealing his ordeal began when he attempted to jump into the ocean. Having initially planned a graceful dive, he realised, mid-aid, that he would land awkwardly.
‌
He explained that he ended up performing a "belly flop" which then put a strain on his body as he tried to swim back to shore. Going into detail, he told the Sunday Times: 'When I finally reached the beach my lungs were full of water and I realised I can't do it anymore.'
He was left fearing he would fall over, as he recalled: "There's just no sense that my knees can handle the pressure." He went on to recall awakening the next day feeling "clammy" and with a pain in his chest - but he ignored the symptom.
After noticing pins and needles in his left arm, he decided to finally seek help and an ambulance was called. He was then rushed to hospital where he received emergency treatment.
He said: 'It seems that of the arteries feeding my heart with nourishing blood, one was completely blocked and the second of three was heading that way.'
Discussing just how close to death he had been, the star recalled a doctor telling him: "Days away? 'Maybe." The star then underwent an angioplasty, which is where a wire is inserting through the wrist to explore potentially damaged arteries.
‌
Recounting being conscious for the procedure, the star wrote: "It's weird, lying there and feeling a metal pipe with a camera on the end wiggling its way round your shoulder and through your chest."
Surgeons fitted a stent to keep an artery open, meaning the star avoided the need for a full heart bypass. The star has explained he is now living a healthier lifestyle.
Last year, Clarkson recounted in another column that he felt tightness in his chest and pins and needles in his left arm leading to his health diagnosis. He wrote at the time: 'I certainly wasn't having a heart attack. But if it hadn't looked that way, I never would have been sent to hospital.'
He had also explained he sought help after noticing he couldn't make it up the stairs unaided, had struggled to swim, and needed to 'take a moment to make sure my limbs were working properly' when he stood up.
He added: "These problems all manifested themselves in one day, which made the rest of my holiday extremely relaxing because all I did was sit in a chair drinking wine and eating chees."