Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen shared his thoughts on Jeremy Clarkson's recent health scare during Monday's episode of Good Morning Britain.
Only recently, Jeremy, 64, revealed he underwent a heart procedure after experiencing a "sudden deterioration" in his health. The former Top Gear host, who currently presents Clarkson’s Farm on Prime Video, spoke in his column in The Sunday Times about what he called the "wearisome effects of growing old".
During his appearance on Monday's GMB, Laurence, 59, was quizzed by host Richard Madeley about Jeremy, as both reside in the Cotswolds, asking: "Another contact of yours who you do talk to is Jeremy Clarkson in the Cotswolds... have you seen him since this whole thing?"
Laurence responded: "No, no, I hope he's alright!" He added: "He's at the posh end of [the Cotswolds] Soho House; we live at the slummy ends of the Cotswolds!" The television personality also commented on the importance of Jeremy sharing his health scare, saying it was "quite topical" and one of the "most important things" as he himself nears the age of 60.
Reflecting on his own approach to ageing, Laurence added: "I think this is one of the most important things, he's a little bit older than me but I think we have to take agency for how well we are. There's this whole thing about the National Health Service and what that should be for getting older. But actually, as you get older, I'm 60!", reports the Mirror.
To which GMB presenter Susanna Reid playfully remarked: "You're not 60 yet!" with Laurence replying: "I am! Well, a couple of months!" Susanna, 53, followed up with a poignant question: "Does it make you stop and think how am I going to take charge of the things in my health that I can fix?" prompting Laurence to reflect: "Well, I think it's actually you need to look at your whole life!"
It comes as Jeremy detailed in his column in The Sunday Times how a swim while on holiday in the Indian Ocean appeared to cause him difficulties using the stairs, which when he returned home meant a "sudden deterioration began to gather pace".
Jeremy said he had symptoms of being "clammy", with a "tightness in my chest", and "pins and needles in my left arm", and after hearing the news of former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond’s fatal heart attack, he decided to go to see his doctor.
Jeremy added he went to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford via ambulance, where a heart attack was ruled out after he had an electrocardiogram (ECG), blood tests, and X-rays. He then went to an "operating theatre" after further checks, and doctors said he was perhaps "days away" from getting very ill.
Jeremy said: "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 said a stent, which can save lives and stop future heart attacks by improving blood flow to the heart, was fitted in around two hours.
He recalled: "It wasn’t especially painful. Just odd," adding that he has been thinking: "Crikey, that was close." Jeremy said he was now "wondering what water tastes like and if it’s possible to make celery interesting" following the health scare, as he seemed to consider lessening his meat intake. Jeremy previously revealed he had to quit smoking after contracting pneumonia on holiday in Spain.
Good Morning Britain continues on weekdays at 6am on both ITV and ITV X.
