Jeremy Clarkson recently opened up about a frightening health scare that almost cost him his life. He shared that during a holiday in the Indian Ocean, what started as a simple swim left him struggling to climb stairs. Things took a turn for the worse when he got home, and suddenly, he found himself feeling clammy, with tightness in his chest and tingling in his left arm. Alarm bells rang when he heard about former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond’s fatal heart attack, and Clarkson decided it was time to see a doctor.

In a candid piece for The Sunday Times, Clarkson revealed that he was rushed to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. After undergoing a series of tests—an electrocardiogram (ECG), blood work, and X-rays—doctors thankfully ruled out a heart attack. But the situation was still serious. After further checks, he was taken to the operating room, where the medical team told him he was just "days away" from becoming gravely ill. 

The diagnosis? One of the arteries that supplied blood to his heart was completely blocked, and another one wasn’t far behind. Clarkson described how, in just two hours, doctors fitted a stent, a tiny device that improves blood flow and can prevent future heart attacks. He described the procedure as more "odd" than painful and couldn’t help but reflect on how close he came to a more dire outcome, thinking, "Crikey, that was close."

Since then, Clarkson has started contemplating some lifestyle changes. In typical Clarkson fashion, he’s been humorously wondering what water really tastes like and whether there’s any way to make celery remotely appealing. These thoughts hint at him possibly cutting down on his beloved meat-heavy diet. This wouldn’t be his first big health shift; he previously had to quit smoking after contracting pneumonia during a holiday in Spain.

Clarkson ended his reflection with gratitude for the well-wishers who sent him messages of support, reassuring everyone that he’s doing just fine—though he now has a doctor's note excusing him from any heavy lifting or dishwasher duty for the next four years, at least according to his interpretation of the doctor's advice.