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Christopher Biggins has open heart surgery

Christopher Biggins has had open heart surgery. (Getty Images)
Christopher Biggins has had open heart surgery. (Getty Images)

Christopher Biggins has undergone open heart surgery and admitted: “It’s not easy getting old."

The 72-year-old pantomime veteran and TV star revealed he has recently had an operation to repair a valve in his heart and knee-replacement surgery.

Biggins told The Sun: “I’m like the bionic man. I’ve had a new knee put in and I’ve had a new valve put into my heart. It’s not easy getting old.”

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The actor, known for his appearance on reality shows including I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and Celebrity Big Brother, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2010 and admitted he is becoming increasingly aware of his health.

He said: “I’ve always been aware of being a big boy – aware of my weight and looking at going on diets.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 18:   Neil Sinclair and Christopher Biggins attend the press night performance of
Christopher Biggins, pictured with husband Neil Sinclair, admitted he has to watch his weight. (Getty Images)

Biggins' close friend Dame Barbara Windsor sadly died in December 2020 aged 83 following a six-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.

The theatre star admitted that losing his friends has brought home his own mortality.

He said: “As you get older, the things you go to – apart from restaurants and theatres – are funerals and memorial services.

“It makes you aware that life is very shallow.

“It’s not easy. You never know when you’re going to go."

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 15:  Barbara Windsor (R) and Christopher Biggins perform during the Amy Winehouse Foundation Gala at The Savoy Hotel on October 15, 2015 in London, England.  (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Dame Barbara Windsor and Christopher Biggins, pictured together in 2015, were very close friends. (Getty Images)

Speaking about Dame Barbara's death last year he said: “I hope that, when we die, all of us, that we can see for the next 24 hours the reaction of everybody to our death.

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“If she could have seen the reaction to her death she would have been so thrilled. The coverage was unbelievable."

Watch: Christopher Biggins on pantomime innuendo