Bob Mortimer saw ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’ during triple bypass surgery

15 March 2024

Bob Mortimer’s heart-stopping triple bypass surgery made him believe in life after death.

Bob Mortimer’s heart-stopping triple bypass surgery made him believe in life after death

The 64-year-old comedian, who is best known hosting the show ‘Shooting Stars’ with Vic Reeves, underwent triple heart bypass surgery in 2015 after it was discovered that “95 per cent” of his arteries were blocked. Bob’s heart stopped for 32 minutes, and he has now revealed he experienced moving into the afterlife during the time he was flat-lining.

Speaking on Kathy Burke’s ‘Where There’s A Will, There’s A Wake’ podcast, he said: “I did see the light at the end of the tunnel. I experienced going towards the light and feeling happier than I have ever felt, ever. It was quite extraordinary, and then I woke up a day later and I was ok. I thought, ‘This is great. I no longer fear death and everything’.”

The former 'Drifters' star also revealed to Kathy that after his near-death experience, his spiritual event was dismissed as nothing but “hallucinations” by naysayers.

He said: “Loads of people wrote to me and said, ‘It's because your body gives out loads of PCT, some chemical to get you through that and it gives you these hallucinations.’

“I was a bit sad about that.”

In 2023, Bob endured “the worst year” of his life after he was told he had lost 20 per cent of his muscle function.

The screen star had told his ‘Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing’ co-host Paul Whitehouse that his health decline dramatically after contracting shingles.

During the programme, he said: “It's been a very, very, very unhealthy year for me Paul with my shingles.

“It was the worst health year of my life to be honest and you know what, it was worse than my heart period.”

Paul asked: “With this, you had misery and pain in equal measure didn't you?”

To which Bob replied: “It the moment the consultant saying I'm heading for 80 per cent muscle recovery in my leg and she said 'you'll just have to see what that means for you.

“The muscles I've lost, I've lost. But other ones can compensate for it, you know what I mean?

“I can make the other muscles stronger but I have a terrible feeling I'm never going to be able to run again and you know that I used to like to run Paul.”