
A man who almost died from a blocked artery sitting down a few months later to organize the most purposefully inconvenient funeral in British history has an almost ridiculous Clarkson quality. A Genesis song, 23 minutes long. interment in Yukon. James May was bequeathed a cow. It sounds a little bit like one of his previous car commercials, but this time the stakes were real, the hospital bed was genuine, and the two stents that keep blood flowing to his heart are still functioning.
Jeremy Clarkson’s health has become one of those topics that people follow because he refuses to talk about it in a way that is even remotely serious, rather than because they take pleasure in someone else’s pain. He almost died. He gladly confesses this. Then, practically in the same sentence, he becomes very astute about leaving all of his pants on Richard Hammond, who is approximately a foot shorter than him. Even if you think there’s real anxiety beneath the deflection, it’s difficult not to respect it.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson |
| Date of Birth | 11 April 1960 |
| Age | 65 |
| Nationality | British |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) |
| Occupation | Broadcaster, Journalist, Farmer, Television Presenter |
| Known For | Top Gear, The Grand Tour, Clarkson’s Farm, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? |
| Spouse/Partner | Lisa Hogan (partner) |
| Children | 3 (including son Finlo, 29) |
| Farm | Diddly Squat Farm, Oxfordshire |
| Heart Surgery | Emergency stent procedure, late 2024, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford |
| Weight Loss | Approximately 3 stone via Mounjaro over 6 months |
| Reference | Jeremy Clarkson |
Piecing together the timeline is worthwhile. When Clarkson attempted to climb the stairs after swimming in the Indian Ocean during a vacation in late 2024, he realized something was wrong. Things rapidly worsened back in England. being clammy. tightness throughout the chest. His left arm was starting to hurt like crazy.
He claims that learning of Alex Salmond’s deadly heart attack encouraged him to see a doctor, which is both darkly humorous and a little unsettling the notion that a man may have had to wait even longer otherwise. He was transported by ambulance to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, where an ECG and blood tests excluded an acute heart attack.
Subsequent examinations, showed something even worse one artery supplying his heart was totally stopped, and a second was well on its way. He was told by doctors that he would get very sick in a few days. After that, a two hour stent operation took place. It was not particularly painful, according to Clarkson. Just peculiar. Then, in that typical understatement that leaves you wondering about his true emotions Crikey, that was close.
A gradual, almost reluctant shift toward genuinely caring about himself ensued. Wellness has never been Clarkson’s thing. He finally gave up smoking in 2017 after getting pneumonia while on vacation in Spain, so it wasn’t exactly a healthy decision. He admits that he has always approached exercise with a great deal of distrust. He once claimed that walking burns fewer calories than Michelangelo’s David. He thinks gyms are strange. Walking is tiresome. He survived for years on a combination of luck and obstinacy, which works until it abruptly stops.
Something seemed to have changed with the arrival of grandchildren. Early in 2025, Clarkson expressed an uncharacteristically tender desire to see them grow up. His statement, I’m doing everything I can not to die, is both humorous and blatantly honest. To his own surprise, he tried reformer Pilates and found it to be enjoyable. He said, I’m not unenjoying it, which is basically a fantastic recommendation from Clarkson. The man who cultivated an image of joyful abandon for decades seems to be subtly reevaluating what really counts.
Mounjaro then arrived. Clarkson disclosed that he had been using the weight loss medication, a tirzepatide injection intended to reduce hunger, for around half a year and had lost about three pounds during that time. Perhaps he sees it as just another useful tool, the medical equivalent of purchasing a better tractor. He has been candid about the negative consequences, including a minor dulling of his typical sharpness and a feeling that his wit isn’t quite as quick on the draw. He has observed moments passing by on the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? set.
There’s also the issue of diminished libido, albeit he’s honest enough to question if aging is the true cause. Although his weight has plateaued, he claims he can now walk farther and spend more time with the dogs since the medication keeps his appetite in check. That is development for someone who treated his body like a rental car for the majority of his adult life.
Additionally, it wasn’t the final hospital visit. Clarkson returned to the John Radcliffe in October 2025 for what he called Defcon 1 painful treatment for an unidentified disease. He declined to go into further detail, saying that’s none of your business, but he gave the NHS employees heartfelt praise, describing them as kind and the facility immaculate. It’s a minor detail, but it points to a change in his perspective on vulnerability. The entire situation may have been turned into a joke by the former Clarkson. He continues to make jokes in this rendition, but he also says eternally grateful and seems to mean it.
Now, the funeral arrangements. written in late March 2026 in his Sunday Times column, in part in response to impending reforms to Agricultural Property Relief that would require farms valued at more than Β£2.5 million to pay inheritance tax. It infuriates Clarkson, the owner of Oxfordshire’s Diddly Squat Farm. Simply put, his clever plan is to outlive the current administration.
When he does pass away, he wishes to be buried in the Canadian wilderness and not be cremated or donate his organs, the latter due to a persistent theological doubt that he candidly discusses. With its allusions to farming, Pythagoras, and Winston Churchill in drag, the Genesis song Supper’s Ready feels less like a haphazard decision and more like a farewell speech from a man who has always avoided being predictable.
From a distance, it seems as though Jeremy Clarkson’s health tale is actually about a specific type of British man who is at a turning point in his life. The kind who uses a weight loss medication but fears it will make him less amusing, who needs grandchildren to acknowledge he wants to live, and who jokes his way through actual peril.
He is 65 years old, has stents, is using Manjiro to lose weight, does Pilates under minor protest, and is organizing a funeral that will cause inconvenience to everyone he loves. It’s utterly human, messy, and conflicting. If nothing else, it seems like he’s finally taking notice.
i) https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/jeremy-clarkson-funeral-agricultural-property-relief-b1277292.html
ii) https://www.menshealth.com/uk/weight-loss/a69914623/jeremy-clarkson-mounjaro-weight-loss/
iii) https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/jeremy-clarkson-shares-funeral-plans-10893478