Christopher Biggins has open heart surgery
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.”
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."
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."
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