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Celebrity chef Rick Stein has said he would “be dead” if he had not undergone heart surgery in 2022.
The British restaurateur, 78, opened up about his medical history during an appearance on Susanna Reid praised for shutting down frustrated Nigel Farage on GMB”>Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (25 February), as part of a wider discussion of his career.
“A couple of years ago, you had life-saving heart surgery,” series host Susanna Reid said. “I know that your feeling is, ‘I’m healthy, I’m well, I look forward,’ but do you just sometimes think, ‘Goodness me, it could have gone another way’?”
“To be honest, Susanna, if I hadn’t had [the operation], I’d be dead,” Stein replied.
In 2022, Stein went to see a cardiologist, having experienced breathlessness for a period of years. He was diagnosed with a defective aorta, and was informed that he would die without surgical intervention.
Stein underwent the procedure at the Royal Brompton Hospital in west London, the UK’s largest specialist heart and lung medical centre.
Recalling the aftermath of the surgery, Stein said: “It’s funny because afterwards I did this interview for The Times and the guy said, ‘How are you?’ and I said, ‘I’m extremely well, with the best will in the world, and I’m feeling really well, but I can only live another 20 years, right?’ But they cut out the last bit because I said, ‘I’m gonna die, you know’.”
‘I’m not gonna last,’ that’s what I said,” Stein added.
“Well, you’re still going strong,” responded Richard Madeley, Reid’s co-host.
Stein is known for operating the Stein hotel and restaurant business alongside his ex-wife Jill Stein. He has also published a range of successful cookbooks.
Speaking to The Independent last year about multiculturalism and food, Stein said: “Generally, we can only benefit from other cultures coming into this country and one of the biggest ways that we benefit is through food and through dishes from all over the world.
“Where would we be, for example, in this country, without Indian cuisine, which is a very important part of the nation’s favourite dishes, or Italian cuisine?”
He continued: “There’s a slight sort of element of irritation on my part, because people in other countries, notably France and the United States, still think the food in the UK is second-rate. It’s probably one of the best places in the world to eat now.”
