Jeremy Clarkson's health journey - from emergency heart surgery to dementia fears

Jeremy Clarkson has struggled with health complications over the years (Image: Getty Images)

Jeremy Clarkson, famed for his passion for luxury cars and daring antics, has opened up about what it feels like to grow old.

The beloved motoring journalist recently underwent emergency surgery to avert potential heart attacks, but this isn't the first health scare he's encountered.

The stark reality of being "days away from death" is a daunting prospect for anyone, but the host of Clarkson's Farm has described it as simply the "wearisome effects of growing old."

Clarkson explained he initially went to hospital to get his health checked out after he struggled to climb the stairs unassisted.

Now, Express.co.uk has taken a look at the petrolhead's history of health issues throughout his career.

The broadcaster recently had emergency heart surgery (Image: Instagram)

Despite being accustomed to an active lifestyle, the owner of Diddly Squat Farm has expressed recent fears for his health following a swim in the Indian Ocean while on vacation.

The doting father and grandfather has previously shared his initial struggle to breathe when ascending stairs after he noticed a "sudden deterioration" in his health upon his return from his romantic vacation.

The TV personality, famed for his work on Amazon Prime's The Grand Tour, recounted feeling "clammy" and experiencing a "tightness in my chest" along with "pins and needles in my left arm".

Spurred by the shocking news of Alex Salmond's fatal heart attack, he sought medical help and was swiftly transported to hospital via ambulance, reports the Mirror.

He reassured fans that he is on the mend (Image: Instagram)

Although medics ruled out a heart attack, they opted to fit a stent to enhance blood flow to his heart and ward off potential future cardiac incidents.

Nevertheless, he has reassured fans that he is on the mend. "I'm very grateful to everyone who sent supportive messages but I'm fine," he declared.

"I just have to not do any manual labour or dishwasher emptying for the next four years. At least I think that's what the doctor said."

The recent health scare has prompted him to reassess his lifestyle choices and ponder over how to 'make celery interesting'. Jeremy used to be an avid smoker but finally decided to quit the smoke following a bout of pneumonia during a vacation in Spain.

The broadcaster fears he may suffer from dementia in his twilight years (Image: ITV)

He has also openly shared his concerns about his fading memory when he admitted that his "memory is shot" as she voiced his fears of developing dementia later in life.

In January, he complained about feeling under the weather and suffering from a persistent runny nose, which he suspected might be Whooping Cough.

The broadcaster shared his troubling symptoms, disclosing: "I cough myself to sleep at night, my nose is like a tap, and every morning I produce about a pint of phlegm. I've tried everything. Pills. Lemsip. Sitting in front of a roaring fire watching Slow Horses."

Last October, the celebrity - who is in a relationship with Lisa Hogan - underwent surgery to remove a 5-centimetre cyst from his back.

He told The Sun: "As I lay under the surgeon's knife, I thought 'this is preferable'. I did actually lose a stone though - mind you, half of that was probably the cyst. But it wasn't cancer. It was never going to be cancerous though - I wasn't in the mood," he reassured fans.

Here slipped two discs while reviewing a car on Top Gear (Image: BBC)

Back in 2005, he slipped two discs in his back while reviewing the TVR Sagaris for Top Gear, caused by excessive oversteering.

The injury meant the broadcaster was forced to sit on the sidelines for six months while his co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May picked up the slack.

Now, as the veteran presenter confronts yet another health setback, he has hinted at slowing down his workload.

He recently branded travel a "young man's game" and confessed his aversion to the idea of spending his twilight years in a retirement home as he "fears it's coming".