TV presenter Chris Tarrant has revealed he is "lucky to be alive" after suffering a near-fatal stroke on a flight from Bangkok in 2014. The former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host, 79, was forced to make lifestyle changes and later announced his retirement in 2024.
Stroke at 39,000ft
Tarrant recalled the terrifying moment he had a stroke while flying at 39,000ft and feared he'd never walk again. He was rushed to hospital after landing, where a consultant told him he thought the broadcaster would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
He underwent surgery and intensive clot-busting treatment, going on to make a full recovery. The experience forced him to face hard truths and cut out unhealthy aspects of his life.
Lifestyle changes
The dad-of-four said: "I'm completely sorted, 100 per cent now. I'm one of the lucky ones. It really spooked me, so I've kind of grown up a bit now. I don't drink whiskey, I'm careful with my diet, and I don't work as hard as I used to."
He also admitted he had to have speech therapy after the stroke, saying: "I had a lucky escape. I can chat to you now, [my body] is working. But I did have to have speech therapy. It took a while to get everything back. It was scary."
Retirement and turning down offers
Just 10 years after the stroke, Tarrant announced his retirement after losing several close friends around his age. He told MailOnline at the time: "52 years is a long time on air. I loved what I did. I had a really good time. But I went to the funerals of five really good mates, who were about the same age as me, and I thought, 'I don't know how long I've got left in life, but I don't want to spend it locked away in a studio.'"
One of those friends was the late Sir Terry Wogan, who died in 2016 at the age of 77. Despite announcing his retirement just before Christmas last year, Tarrant revealed offers were still coming in from TV producers. He turned down hosting The Masked Singer and declared he had no desire to front another travel show, as he didn't want to be told "where to go and what to do".
