Jeremy Clarkson has opened up about being "days from death" before undergoing emergency heart surgery to save his life.
The 65-year-old TV presenter had two stents fitted to unblock vital arteries after doctors discovered they were severely blocked, and subsequently warned him to overhaul his diet.
Clarkson was rushed to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford after experiencing symptoms including clamminess, chest tightness, and pins and needles in his left arm.
Speaking to The Sunday Times about the initial signs of trouble, he recalled a recent holiday to the Seychelles, shortly before the health scare.
He said: "I always try and dive off a boat on every holiday because at my age you never know when your last dive is going to be, or your last anything, for that matter."
However, realising midway through a dive—which turned into a belly flop—that his body was struggling, Clarkson added: "When I finally reached the beach my lungs were full of water and I realised I can't do it anymore."
On returning to his home in Chadlington, Oxfordshire, he began experiencing the symptoms that led to his hospital dash. Doctors later told him he had been just days away from death.
Clarkson described the "wearisome effects of growing old," adding: "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."
Following his surgery, Clarkson said having the stents fitted, which improve blood flow and prevent future heart attacks, "wasn't especially painful. Just odd." He admitted he has since thought: "Crikey, that was close."
Doctors advised Clarkson to give up high-fat and processed foods and exercise regularly. He now plays pickleball to keep fit and has adopted a new 'mono diet'.
Describing this diet, Clarkson explained: "The way my doctor here described it, if it has one ingredient, like steak, or egg, it's fine. But not supermarket lasagne."
Clarkson has also cut back on alcohol consumption—though he hasn't given it up entirely—and has experimented with weight-loss medication.
After finding Ozempic unsuitable, he switched to Mounjaro, which he credits with curbing his urge to binge eat.
Earlier this year, while filming Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Clarkson provided an update on his health routine, joking about his phone alerting him: "My phone flashed up this morning saying: 'you are taking far fewer steps this week than last.' I thought, 'yeah I would be as I am sitting here.' It also says you are eating far fewer sausages. I just sit here and eat celery. I am feeling better on it. I do feel very well."
Clarkson first opened up about the life-threatening episode last October, describing how he initially felt "mostly dead" after swimming in the Indian Ocean, and then struggled climbing a flight of stairs.
Following his tropical break, during which he indulged in cheese and wine, Clarkson experienced a "sudden deterioration" in his health. He said he noticed pins and needles in his arm while loading 30 pigs onto a "slaughterhouse school bus".
At the time, he told The Sun: "I'm very grateful to everyone who sent supportive messages but I'm fine. I just have to not do any manual labour or dishwasher emptying for the next four years. At least I think that's what the doctor said."
After initial tests, doctors initially ruled out a heart attack but further examination revealed the severity of his condition, prompting the emergency surgery.
Stents, small wire mesh tubes, are fitted during an angioplasty—where surgeons insert a wire with an attached deflated balloon through a small incision in the arm or leg, up to the coronary arteries.
Clarkson's surgery lasted around two hours and successfully improved blood flow, relieving his chest pain.
