Jeremy Clarkson shares devastating symptoms that led to ‘days from death’ diagnosis

Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he was ‘days from death’ after a terrifying health scare.

Writing in his Sunday Times column, the 64-year-old broadcaster detailed a string of sudden and severe symptoms that began during a holiday – signs he initially brushed off but which ultimately led to an ambulance ride, surgery, and a life-saving stent.

It all began, he says, with an ill-fated attempt to dive from a boat while on holiday. Mid-air, Clarkson second-guessed his abilities and tried to convert the dive into a jump, resulting in what he described as ‘an almighty belly flop that caused pain ‘you measure in acres.’

But more concerning was what followed: struggling to swim a short distance and arriving at the beach ‘mostly dead.’

‘I’ve never struggled with swimming before, and now, suddenly, I can’t do it any more,’ he wrote. Back on dry land, he found he could barely manage stairs without support.

‘There’s just no sense that my knees can handle the pressure,’ he admitted, fearing he was heading toward ‘a tumble.’

Once home, Clarkson’s condition deteriorated further. He woke up one morning feeling ‘clammy’ with a tight chest, but ignored the signs and carried on with his day.

It was only after noticing pins and needles in his left arm that he decided to take action, and an ambulance was called.

Clarkson was rushed to hospital where he was told one artery was completely blocked and another was nearly closed.

‘Days away? ‘Maybe,’ the doctor told him when asked how close he was to catastrophe.

He underwent an angioplasty, which involved inserting a wire through his wrist to explore the damage in his arteries.

‘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,’ he wrote.

Fortunately, surgeons were able to avoid a full heart bypass and instead fitted a stent to keep the artery open.

Though he described the two-hour operation as ‘not especially painful, just odd,’ he made it clear just how close he came to disaster.

Now, safely back home and recovering, Clarkson is using his brush with death to try to implement a healthier lifestyle.

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