Bob Mortimer says he is “not very healthy right now” after “terrible” year

Bob Mortimer has given fans an update on his medical status, noting that he is “not very healthy right now”. 

Mortimer underwent triple heart bypass surgery in 2015 after it was discovered that 95 per cent of his arteries were blocked.

The comedian, 64, who rose to fame as part of a comedy double act with Vic Reeves in the ‘90s, also fell ill shortly after the filming of an episode of Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing in 2022, forcing him to miss the following episode of the BBC2 show.  

Furthermore, he confirmed in a recent interview that he has also been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, after having had the condition in his mid-20s. 

And now, Mortimer has disclosed that he contracted shingles in 2023 that resulted in what he describes as “a very, very, very unhealthy year”. 

In an interview in Metro, he said that the viral skin condition cost him the use of several muscles. “The muscles I’ve lost, I’ve lost,” he said. “But other ones can compensate for it, you know what I mean?” 

“You know what? It was worse than my heart period,” he added, before saying that he has a “terrible feeling” that he will no longer be able to go for runs. 

In an interview with the Big Issue in 2018, the comedian reflected on the life-changing effect of the triple bypass surgery: “My doctor told me that I would have had a heart attack on stage. He looked at my tour schedule and said I would most likely have gone down in Southampton. 

“When I came home from being told I had to have heart surgery, it feels so dramatic. You think it is over.” 

Gone Fishing first came about as a concept when Mortimer was recovering from the heart bypass surgery and Whitehouse, a longtime friend, cajoled him into leaving the house to come fishing with him.  

The show has now run for six seasons, with a seventh season due to be released later in 2024. 

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