Bob Mortimer has made a brutally honest confession about life after his emergency triple heart bypass â and itâs left fans both shocked and strangely moved.

The 66-year-old comedian, who survived a near-fatal cardiac event in 2015 when his heart stopped for 32 minutes, has admitted heâs choosing happiness over strict medical rules, even when those rules could extend his life.
âIâd rather take my chancesâ
After doctors discovered that 95% of his arteries were blocked, Mortimer was ordered to drastically reduce one of his greatest joys: cheese.

âThe dietitian said I could have a matchbox-sized piece a week,â he recalled. âIt broke my heart. Some people probably stick to it â but I think Iâm in the group whoâd rather have three years less.â
His refusal to follow the guidelines adds an unexpected twist to a health journey already packed with battles. Mortimer has previously spoken openly about living with arthritis, and last summer he was unable to walk after contracting shingles while filming his BBC series Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

A man forever changed by a brush with death
Speaking on Where Thereâs A Will, Thereâs A Wake earlier this year, Mortimer shared how his near-death experience shifted his entire perspective on time and mortality.
âI donât feel scared about death,â he said. âI just feel frustrated thinking I wonât see how stories end â my childrenâs, my wifeâs, football, everything happening in the world.â
He even described a surreal moment when he felt himself drifting toward âthe light at the end of the tunnelâ:
âI was going towards it, feeling happier than Iâve ever felt. It was extraordinary. Then I woke up the next day and I was OK. I thought, âThis is great â I no longer fear death.ââ

A wedding moments before surgery
In one of the most dramatic turns in his story, Mortimer revealed he married his long-time partner Lisa Matthews just 30 minutes before his life-saving operation. Doctors warned him urgently, and by Monday morning, an emergency exemption allowed the couple to wed at 9:30am â with Mortimer entering surgery at 10am.
Lockdown fears and unwavering humour
Mortimer has also spoken candidly about his arthritis and how the 2020 lockdown affected his health:
âIâve done no exercise, eaten so much, drunk so much booze. Lockdown probably took two years off my life.â
And yet, amid every scare, every diagnosis, every dramatic twist⊠one thing hasnât changed: his sharp humour â and his unapologetic devotion to cheese.



