Jeremy Clarkson makes emotional admission and says 'I want to see my grandchildren grow up'
Jeremy Clarkson has made an emotional admission and said he 'wants to see his grandchildren grow up' following a heart procedure. The former Top Gear presenter recently had a stent fitted after his health deteriorated.
He admitted his lifestyle - which he said involved drinking 'pints' of wine and smoking heavily since a teenager - was never going to 'cause me to live to 112'. But he said he 'didn't really care', claiming he did not want to 'deny himself all that fun'.
But his attitude towards his health has since changed. Writing in The Sun, Clarkson said: "Last week, doctors announced that the arteries feeding my heart were like something you’d find hanging from the roof of a cave in the Peak District and that I needed extremely urgent surgery.
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"You might imagine this was all very scary but honestly, it wasn't. The doctors were skilled professionals and they had all the tools they'd need, so during the procedure I was so relaxed that at one point, I nodded off.
"I felt like a car. My fuel lines had become all clogged up and they were mending them. Easy. Sure, they 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." Doctors have since told Clarkson he needs to cut back on work, exercise more and overhaul his diet.
He added: "I’m now 64 and last week, when the Grim Reaper poked his nose round the door, I decided that actually, I quite fancied living a little bit longer. 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. Also, I still want to visit the Galapagos Islands."