Paul O’Grady had fans all worried earlier this month when it emerged he’d been rushed to hospital in India after collapsing.
The beloved TV presenter had contracted an infection while visiting wounded animals during filming for an episode of his popular show For The Love Of Dogs.
It was particularly concerning to fans given the star’s previously suffered two heart attacks.
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Thankfully, the 62-year-old was successfully treated and given the all-clear.
In a new interview with his local Kent Online, the popular presenter reflected on what his heart doctor recently told him during a check-up.
“My cardiologist says, ‘Are you a vampire? I don’t know how you do it! I turned on the telly the other night and saw you fire-eating!’” laughed Paul.
Paul also told the newspaper that swapping London for life in the Kent countryside had been a positive move, allowing him to switch off from the hectic pace of showbiz life.
“I felt really stressed at first. I thought, ‘What have I done?’ I didn’t drive, I didn’t have a computer. Now when I’m in the countryside, I look like Worzel Gummidge,” he recalled.
“When friends come down they recoil in horror! It’s called letting yourself go and I’d highly recommend it.”
Paul added: “I could never relax before. Now, I’ll sit and read a book in the afternoon and I don’t have the guilt.”
Well-deserved!
The television legend recounted his health scare in India during a recent interview with The Mirror.
He had been in the country to film his wildly successful Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs, which airs on ITV, when he visited some local animals.
“They had been bitten by rats and there were maggots in them,” he said.
“I must have touched my mouth with my hand and I started vomiting at five in the morning.
“The doctor was called and he said, ‘You’re so seriously dehydrated, you’re heading for renal failure’.
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“Next thing I know I’m in an Indian hospital, not knowing what was going on and expecting the worst.”
Thankfully, the ED! favourite is A-Okay now and back on the promo trail for his new book, Paul O’Grady’s Country Life, which documents Paul’s move to rural Kent and his love for animals.
One for your Christmas list!