12-04-2025
Bob Mortimer 'no longer fears death' following life-saving heart surgery
Comedian Bob Mortimer has recently opened up about the life-saving heart surgery he received that led him to see "the light".
10 years ago, the BBC Would I Lie To You? star was left close to death when his heart stopped beating for a terrifying 32 minutes due to blocked arteries, leading him to undergo the surgery.
The 65-year-old's health issues didn't stop there, as last year he confirmed a shingles diagnosis, leaving him unable to walk.
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Shingles is a painful rash caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox.
The NHS states: "The rash appears as blotches on your skin, on 1 side of your body only. A rash on both the left and right of your body is unlikely to be shingles."
Due to his varied health struggles, the father-of-two said he no longer fears death on Kathy Burke's podcast Where There's A Will, There's A Wake.
He said: "I don't feel scared about death, I just feel so frustrated and sad to think I won't see how stories end. My children's story. My wife's. The football. All the stories going on in the world that you're going to miss the end of.
"I did see the light at the end of the tunnel. I experienced going towards the light and feeling happier than I have ever felt, ever. "
"It was quite extraordinary, and then I woke up a day later and I was OK. I thought, 'This is great. I no longer fear death and everything'."
Bob's concern turned to his family, worried about their future if the worst were to happen.
Because of this, he married his partner, Lisa Matthews, just 30 minutes before his heart surgery.
During a press conference a year following the surgery, he said: "I found out I needed heart surgery on the Thursday, so I made a will on the Friday. Found out I couldn't get married to Lisa because you have to give 21 days notice."
"But my consultant said I was incredibly ill, so the registrar in London - I don't live in London - gave me permission to get married on the Monday.
"I got married at half 9 on the Monday then went into hospital for the operation at 10."
