Bob Mortimer (64) fears he will never run again after ‘worst health year of my life’
Bob Mortimer has revealed his ‘terrible’ fear he will never run again after the ‘worst health year’ of his life.
The comedian, 64, who is struggling with rheumatoid arthritis, has been told by doctors that he has lost 20% of his muscle function.
Bob said his health deteriorated rapidly after contracting shingles – a painful condition caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox.
He told his friend Paul Whitehouse on his show Gone Fishing, which aired on Friday: ‘It’s been a very, very, very unhealthy year for me, Paul with my shingles.
“It was honestly the worst health year of my life, and you know, it was worse than my heart period.
Bob Mortimer has revealed his ‘terrible’ fear he will never run again after the ‘worst health year’ of his life
Bob underwent triple heart bypass surgery in 2015 when his heart was stopped for 32 minutes after discovering that 95 percent of his arteries were blocked.
Paul, 65, said: ‘This left you in equal measure of misery and pain, didn’t it?
Bob told him: ‘Right now the consultant says I’m on the way to 80% muscle recovery in my leg and she said, ‘You just have to see what that means for you.’
‘The muscles I’ve lost, I’ve lost… But others can compensate, you know what I mean?
‘I can strengthen the other muscles but I have a terrible feeling that I will never be able to run again and you know I used to love running Paul.’
Paul commented, “You used to fly, didn’t you?”
Viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, to comment on the touching scenes: ‘Really enjoyed Gone Fishing last night, seemed like the best in a while. But it’s sad to think that Bob has been so sick all year.”
“I loved the missing fish special, good to see you’re on the mend, Bob.”
‘Bob and Paul’s festive road fishing special is magical’.
The comedian, 64, who is struggling with rheumatoid arthritis, has been told by doctors that he has lost 20% of his muscle function
Bob said his health deteriorated rapidly after contracting shingles – a painful condition caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox
Viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, to comment on the moving scenes
The hugely popular BBC Two show is presented by Bob and Paul Whitehouse
Bob has been open about his health in the past, speaking candidly about his triple heart bypass surgery and his struggles with arthritis.
In December 2020, Bob admitted he feared the coronavirus pandemic would shorten his life by two years.
Confessing that he had given up his healthy lifestyle during the lockdown, he said: ‘I haven’t been exercising, I’ve been eating so much and drinking so much booze. The lockdown probably took two years off my life.’
The comedian previously spoke about his struggle with rheumatoid arthritis.
Bob said: ‘In my mid-twenties I developed rheumatoid arthritis. I just woke up and it was like ‘bang’.
‘I have been free of it since I was 34 and it came back 10 days ago. It’s really sad for me to know if it will work out. Yes, I may be fat, but I’m actually on steroids.
‘Around the age of sixty I wanted to be eliminated and didn’t want anything else to happen. But it takes you until you’re sixty to realize what you could have done.’
WHAT IS RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS? THE painful, long-lasting disease that is incurable
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects around 400,000 people in Britain
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects around 400,000 people in Britain and almost 1.3 million adults in the US.
Women are up to three times more likely to develop the condition than men. Those with a family history of rheumatoid arthritis are also more vulnerable.
It is a long-term disease in which the immune system causes the body to attack itself, causing painful, swollen and stiff joints.
RA, the second most common form of arthritis that often begins between the ages of 40 and 50, tends to affect the hands, wrists, and knees.
Scientists are currently unsure what the exact cause of RA is, but smoking, eating a lot of red meat, and coffee drinkers are at greater risk.
A cure has yet to be found, but treatments are available and proven to help slow the progressive condition.
RA is a complex autoimmune disease that is diagnosed and treated by a primary care rheumatologist. The patient is regularly monitored by a multidisciplinary team led by a consultant in the hospital.