Bob Mortimer admitted he isn’t afraid of death – but he’s “frustrated and sad” that he’ll “miss the end” of his family’s story. After undergoing a triple heart bypass, comedian Bob, 65, admitted he saw a “white light” but thankfully lived to tell the tale. In a candid admission, he said: “I don’t feel scared about death, I just feel so frustrated and sad to think I won’t see how stories end.

“My children’s story. My wife’s. The football. All the stories going on in the world that you’re going to miss the end of.” 2023 was the “worst year” for Bob’s health, with him suffering from heart troubles, rheumatoid arthritis and shingles. During a triple bypass heart surgery, the Gone Fishing star’s heart stopped for 32 minutes when surgeons injected it with potassium.

He admitted: “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'."

But he admitted afterwards: “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."

Describing what he saw, Bob said: “It was absolutely wonderful. I was in the tunnel – it was a hedge, you know, beautifully shaped – and there was the light at the end and I could not wait to get there. Wow, this is going to… the feeling is going to be amazing.”

95% of Bob’s arteries were blocked, and doctors warned him he could suffer a heart attack on stage. The day he was taken into hospital for surgery, he married his long-term partner Lisa Matthews in case he didn’t make it through.