Jeremy Clarkson's harrowing fear he was going to die young before major health scare

Kaleb Cooper gives update on Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson recently opened up about a terrifying health scare that left him fearing for his life. The ITV star revealed he underwent emergency heart surgery after falling seriously ill during a holiday.

But this was somewhat prolific as just a few years ago, he admitted he feared turning 61 as many of his friends and family died at that age.

The Grand Tour host celebrated his 64th birthday in April but thoughts of mortality weighed heavily on his mind back in 2021.

"Everyone I know dies at 61," he said. "All my friends did, my dad did, that’s when you go, 'If I make it to 62, I’ll be here forever.'"

He recalled how he looked at his dad when he was the same age, admitting he believed he was an "old man. But I don’t feel old," he shrugged as he spoke to The Mirror.

Jeremy had a harrowing fear he was going to die young before major health scare (Image: Getty)

"When I see myself on screen I think, 'Who’s that?' I always expect a 19-year-old to be looking back at me."

On Sunday, October 22, in a candid piece for the Sunday Times, Jeremy described a harrowing moment during a recent trip when he struggled to rise from the breakfast table, questioning if his "limbs were working properly".

He found himself battling with simple activities like swimming and walking. Upon returning to the UK, a worrying "tightening in his chest" led to an urgent ambulance trip to the hospital.

"It seems that of the arteries feeding my heart with nourishing blood, one was completely blocked and the second of three was heading that way," he wrote.

"The question was this. Were the arteries so ruined that I'd need an emergency heart bypass? Or could he use Dyno-Rods and ultrasonic battering rams to loosen them up before inserting a stent?"

Jeremy with co-stars Richard Hammond, James May just wrapped up The Grand Tour (Image: Getty)

His Clarkson's Farm co-star Kaleb Cooper has since disclosed that he was with Jeremy when he required emergency heart surgery.

The 26-year-old gave a health update during Thursday's episode (October 24) of This Morning, where he also discussed their hit TV show.

Speaking to hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, Kaleb confirmed that Jeremy is making a good recovery. Ben asked Kaleb if this had been a concern for everyone involved, to which Kaleb responded: "Yeah, no it was."

"I mean I was there with him when it happened and all I can say is he's definitely a fighter. He's a strong man." He added: "He went in, he had the procedure and he's doing really good."