TV legend Jeremy Clarkson has voiced concerns over his mortality after a health scare led to hospitalisation. The former ‘Top Gear’ host, whose show marks its 22-year anniversary today, opened up about his thoughts on life expectancy during an intimate chat earlier this year.
Sharing with the Guardian, he remarked: “I don’t have long. I’ve probably only got what, 70,000 hours left, maybe? “.
These poignant reflections come shortly before Jeremy shared details of a heart procedure he underwent, following a “sudden deterioration”. Adding to the worries, his attempts at a healthier lifestyle appear to have backfired.
His partner Lisa Hogan disclosed that they typically enjoy two bottles of wine each night but faced unexpected consequences when they tried an alcohol-free health getaway in Portugal.
According to Lisa, the juice-only diet at the retreat made Jeremy so sick that he ended up in hospital with an abscess on his back. It’s not the first hint of health issues for Clarkson.
Writing in a previous Sunday Times column, he spoke about struggling to match the walking pace of his son Finlo Clarkson and mentioned how he draws motivation from track legend Roger Bannister. He wrote: “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.”
Jeremy has also shared his fears over potentially developing dementia, in addition to discussing the impact of losing his hearing. He came to worry more about dementia following a health check-up which revealed that his auditory issues had increased his dementia risk twofold.
In an interview with The Times, he elaborated: “My brain is having to use a huge amount of computing power trying to fill in the bits of speech it hasn’t been able to hear. Which is hard when it’s simultaneously trying to remember where I put my spectacles.”
However, thoughts about his life’s twilight years haven’t stopped Jeremy from continuing work, with progress being made on his popular Amazon series Clarkson’s Farm.