Jeremy Clarkson has shared his angst over adapting to a new wellness regime after undergoing “extremely urgent” heart surgery.
The 64-year-old former Top Gear presenter was recently fitted with two stents, which improve blood flow to the heart, after he experienced symptoms such as shortness of breath and struggling to walk up a flight of stairs while on holiday. Doctors told him he was potentially days away from dying.
Clarkson said the operation did not faze him, but said the prospect of adopting lifestyle changes such as abstaining from alcohol, quitting smoking, having to exercise and managing a healthy diet, was what he feared the most.
In his column in The Sun, the broadcaster wrote: “If I go to a party, I must stand in a corner, nursing some refreshing elderflower juice, before going home at about 9.30. That’s terrifying.”
He continued: “Sure, [the doctors] said there was a five per cent chance that my heart would stop but there’s a five per cent chance I’ll be eaten by a lion this afternoon and I’m not worried about that. What is scary though is what came afterwards. The advice on how I must live my life from now on.”
“Literally, I am not allowed to have fun any more. I must live in a Liberal Democrat, holier-than-thou fog of weeds, seeds and yoga. This is terrifying.”
Clarkson has a packed schedule, despite having recently retired from The Grand Tour, which he presented with longtime collaborators Richard Hammond and James May. He owns a farm and a brewery and he also recently opened his own pub. Clarkson writes three newspaper columns and hosts the ITV gameshow Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
The TV personality said his doctor told him “a lot of that will have to go” and suggested he should take up golf.
Clarkson said he doesn’t have a hobby, so if he didn’t have work he would just be sitting and “rotting” at home all day.
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As part of his new diet, he will have to cut out red meat, chips, butter, chocolate and “the interesting bit” in eggs.
“I’ve had a week now to live in the new regime and it’s horrific,” he said.
He continued: “Have you ever tried kale? Well, don’t, because it’s like eating the contents of a AAA battery. And then there’s Greek yoghurt. What’s that all about?”
Clarkson will also have to exercise regularly, and said he regards working out as “something you do when travelling from the car to the pub, or from the lunch table to the sitting room”.
When he recovers from the operation, Clarkson said he “must go on the sort of ‘walk’ where I end up back where I started”.
“What’s the point of that?” he asked.
Speaking about his previous lifestyle, Clarkson remarked: “I lived in a blizzard of hangovers and jet lag for 30 years. Smoking? Yup. Started at 14 and became a world champion, sucking down sixty Marlboro Reds a day.”
Despite Clarkson’s disapproval of the new regime, his health scare has made him realise that he would like to live longer.
“Last week, when the Grim Reaper poked his nose round the door, I decided that actually I quite fancied living a little bit longer,” he wrote.
“I want to see my grandchildren grow up. I saw the dawn this morning, and it was magnificent, so I’d quite like to see a few more of those, too.”