05 February 2024 , 12:39
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TV chef Rick Stein has recalled the moment he was told his body was "failing" as he admits he might not have long left to live.
The 77-year-old revealed he has been thinking about death after undergoing a major heart operation last year. He fears he may not have long left, but is making the most of the time he has left. Rick has written over 25 cook books and owns restaurants across the world. He is best known for his award-winning eateries in Padstow, Cornwall, as well as restaurants in Sandbanks, one of the most expensive places to live in Britain, Barnes in South West London, plus two restaurants Down Under.
The culinary legend has revealed he struggled with his breathing for years, before being told he would need surgery to save his life. Rick's doctor found his aorta was in trouble after undergoing heart tests. He was told he could have medication, but surgery would be a must.
Rick struggled to breathe while on holiday in Scotland (SWNS)In his interview with The Times, Rick recalled walking up a hill in Scotland but he became too breathless to continue. He was then told his aorta was failing by doctors and that he could only delay surgery for a little while. Rick opened up on the incident in his book Simple Suppers, where he said: "The cardiologist said, ‘You’ve got to have an op, because you’ve got no choice. You have got a choice, you could die, or you could have the op.’"
He added: "I was on a fishing trip with my boys in The Highlands. They sort of shimmied up a mountain and said, ‘Are you coming Dad?’ And I got about 100 yards up a very steep hill, and I just realised I was completely breathless." The star, who is famed for his expertise in fish and seafood, is free of his symptoms and is feeling better. He added: "Lots of people have had the same operation and more or less all of them say that it’s completely rejuvenated them."
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Speaking in his latest interview, Rick continued: "Even though at my age and with the normal realities of life I'm not going to last that much longer, I think as long as you've got your health and you're optimistic generally and enjoying your life, you don't tend to ponder too much about how little life you've got left."
The night before his heart surgery, Rick was served a fish dish which inspired his latest book. He enjoyed a lightly fried haddock fillet, with salt and cracked black pepper with an olive oil dressing, spring onions, red peppers and lemon juice. He said: "That first dish when I arrived in hospital was fantastic. You think a lot when you’re in the hospital, and I was just thinking how wonderful [the haddock] was and how lovely it would be to write a book which was filled with these sort of similar recipes. And I think the older you get, the more you realise, that the simpler recipes are often the best ones."