A doctor has issued a stark warning that Jeremy Clarkson might pay a steep price for ignoring medical advice to join a farming protest in Central London. The ex-Top Gear and Grand Tour host, 64, reportedly shrugged off doctors’ orders to rally against inheritance tax changes despite the biting cold and heavy sleet.
Before the event, Mr Clarkson told The Sun he would head to London “despite having letters from doctors telling me not to go on the march and saying I must avoid stress”. In recent times, there’s been concern about the health of the seasoned presenter following his talk of life-saving heart surgery, dietary changes, and voicing worries over potential dementia.
GP Dr Jeff Foster, Men’s Health director at Manual, highlighted the dangers the Clarkson’s Farm star could be facing by attending the protest. He commented: “After any acute coronary episode/heart surgery, your heart is weaker and the body needs time to recover. If you push things too much after a heart event, it increases your risk of a further event or heart attack.
“Things that can impact on your heart recovery include high blood pressure, exercising too hard, too much alcohol or smoking, and of course stress. I appreciate this is an important event for Jeremy to be seen at, but could come at a way higher cost to his health.”
Dr Foster highlighted the risks of ignoring medical advice with a stark analogy, saying: “You would not run a marathon the day after you tear your thigh muscle so why after heart surgery would you think it is safe to go against your doctor and start increasing your stress less,” reports GloucestershireLive.
Meanwhile, Clarkson’s participation in a Westminster protest has raised eyebrows given his recent admission about his mortality. Earlier this year, he told the Guardian that he believed he had “70,000 hours left”.
In a Sunday Times column, Clarkson delved deeper into his experience with heart surgery and the stent procedure that was performed to keep an artery open. Beyond his heart health, Clarkson has voiced concerns over developing dementia, especially after a hearing loss which he fears could heighten his risk of the disease.
He shared with the Times: “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.”
Despite these health worries, Clarkson made his opinions heard loud and clear at the Westminster event.
Criticising Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ strategy, he pointed out: “If [Rachel Reeves] would have wanted to take out the likes of James Dyson and investment bankers and so on, she would have used a sniper’s rifle, but she’s used a blunderbuss and she’s hit all this lot.”
He beseeched the Government to recognise its error, saying: “I beg the government to be big, to accept that this was rushed through. It wasn’t thought out, and it’s a mistake. That’s the big thing to do – admit it and back down.”