Jeremy Clarkson's years of health struggles as star has heart surgery

Clarkson has been open after previous health battles including being hospitalised in Majorca and and fighting his weight

TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has had a stent fitted in his heart after falling ill while swimming on holiday. He had a sudden deteritioarion in his health at home and went to see a doctor.

He was taken into surgery and told he was 'days away' from falling seriously ill. It is not the first health battle the 64-year-old star has faced.

In August 2017, Clarkson was hospitalised while on vacation in Majorca after contracting a severe case of pneumonia. He spent several days in intensive care. Clarkson described it as a frightening experience and said it took a long time for him to recover fully.

In 2020, during the pandemic, Clarkson contracted COVID-19 around Christmas. In a column, he wrote about his experience and mentioned feeling anxious due to his age (he was 60 at the time) and the virus's unpredictability. Fortunately, he recovered without major complications.

Over the years, Clarkson has been known for his lifestyle, which included heavy smoking and drinking. However, there have been public comments and reports of him reducing his smoking and trying to make healthier choices as he aged. His rugged persona often included jokes about his unhealthy habits, but he has become more reflective of his health in recent years.

Clarkson has been open about his health struggles over the years, including worries about dementia and difficulties keeping up with his son, Finlo. Recently, his Clarkson's Far, co-star Kaleb Cooper noticed a new change in Clarkson's appearance, following a trip to the South of France.

The 26-year-old farm manager observed that Clarkson, 64, looked like he might have vitiligo, a condition that causes patches of skin to lose pigment.

Addressing this in The Times, Clarkson said that while he doesn't suffer from the condition, this symptom has changed his view on sunbathing - a known trigger for the disorder. He wrote: "The next problem we have when we go abroad is the sun. I used to lie in it, hoping I could go home looking like David Dickinson. But I never achieved that Cuprinol finish. I just went red and then all my skin fell off, as though my eczema had returned.

"So now I don't sunbathe at all. I just sit under a tree until five and then scuttle at high speed into the pool. When I returned to the farm on Monday, Kaleb thought I'd caught vitiligo."

Aside from this, Clarkson has also been candid about his weight, admitting in August 2022 that he was finding it "hard to stay well" and that walking his dogs was a "real struggle".

Struggling significantly with simple tasks like tying his shoe laces, the celebrity went as far as creating a home gym and hiring a personal trainer to assist in shedding the pounds. He realised the extent of his struggle when trying to keep up with his 26-year-old son, Finlo Clarkson.

Speaking about his health, the star previously wrote in a 2023 Sunday Times column: "When I go with my son to Stamford Bridge, he pootles along at what people call 'walking pace' and to keep up I have to unleash my inner Bannister.

"Which means that for the first half of the match I can’t concentrate on the football because I’m too busy coughing up my spleen and trying to get my breath back."

Months later, Jeremy revealed he had been "coughing [himself] to sleep at night" and that he had "tried everything" to right himself.

Another problem that the TV star has encountered is ear issues. Symptoms have plagued Jeremy for 12 years but he decided to take action upon discovering a connection between hearing loss and dementia.

He said that a routine medical check-up revealed that he had "doubled the chance" of being diagnosed with dementia due to his hearing issues. Jeremy has since been fitted with a "snazzy" set of hearing aids which should work to mitigate his problem.

Despite this, he acknowledged: "It’s not the end of the world, because if I do become really ill, I can always see a doctor at my local hospital."