JEREMY Clarkson has revealed he’s overhauled his life after a new arrival left him ‘determined not to die’.
Jeremy, 65, shocked his fans in October last year when he revealed he had undergone emergency heart surgery.
The Clarkson’s Farm star ended up having two stents fitted to improve the flow of blood to his heart, and since then he has had to make a series of changes to his diet and lifestyle.
Now in his latest column for The Sunday Times, Jeremy has revealed one of his biggest incentives for getting fit and healthy – his granddaughters.
Jeremy has two grandchildren via his eldest daughter Emily; Arlo Rose, two and Xanthe Fiadh who was born just before Christmas.
In his column, Jeremy spoke of his joy at being a grandfather and said of his grandchildren: “I have decided that it is so wonderful that I want it to go on for as long as is humanly possible.
“Which means I must do everything in my power to not die.”
He then went on to detail how he has tried to get fit on numerous occasions in the past, but hates the gym, doesn’t enjoy cycling and couldn’t get away with yoga.
Even his girlfriend Lisa Hogan tried to help and bought them “some kind of cage full of bars and straps and ingots” but it soon became a “dust trap”.
He liked to go for walks when he had the time or inclination, but admitted: “Michelangelo’s David burns more calories than I do when I’m out and about, so I continued to get fatter and more out of breath, and when you want to see your grandchildren grow up, that’s not good enough.”
But following his heart surgery, Jeremy decided to give Pilates a try and to his immense surprise, he enjoys it.
It’s helped by the fact that his Pilates teacher makes him laugh and the slow pace of the exercises involved suit him, but still achieve results.
He said: “What we’ve learnt so far is that my pelvis is so cockeyed I look like a broken shotgun, my legs are very “heavy” and that my fat can be made to hurt.”
Despite the slower pace of exercise, Jeremy admitted he regularly wakes up find his legs are stiff, even though he doesn’t feel like he had done very much.
But his teacher reassures him that he has and he added: “That makes me happy because so far I’ve relied on luck to keep me alive.
“But I’m in sniper’s alley right now and I have to work at dodging the bullets.”
11 signs you might have heart disease
AROUND 7.6million people in the UK live with heart and circulatory diseases. Are you one of them?
If you notice any of the following symptoms, it is time to see a doctor.
- Chest pain
- Feeling sick
- Stomach pain or indigestion
- Feeling sweaty or clammy
- Leg pain
- Arm pain
- Jaw or back pain
- Choking sensation
- Swollen ankles
- Extreme fatigue
- Irregular heartbeat
Source: British Heart Foundation
