Born in 1958, in Rhondda, Wales, Paul Whitehouse burst onto the TV screen in the 1990s, starring in the likes of The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, and Harry Enfield and Chums. Best known for The Fast Show, The Death of Stalin, Alice Through The Looking Glass, and Corpse Bride, Whitehouse has been keeping busy with his career. Yet, in a candid interview, the father-of-three opened up about his health condition that has made him “more selfish” about how he spends his time.
Last year, the actor told Saga Magazine about his invasive operation: “In many ways I was lucky.”
Having had three stents inserted to help widen his coronary arteries, the actor, writer, and producer has had a change of priorities.
“When I had the heart stents, the guy who did it said, ‘Well I didn’t put them in for you to go and sit by the fire, so get up and go out,'” Whitehouse said.
“I took him at his word, so I do a lot of exercise to keep myself ticking over.”
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The 64-year-old said he “owes it to heart disease” for becoming “more selfish about [his] time”.
Whitehouse elaborated: “I say to people, ‘Don’t even think about contacting me at this time.
“‘Because I will be doing my exercise that I need to do in order for me to be able to function, to talk to you.'”
The multi-talented creator added: “You can’t look after anyone else if you don’t look after yourself.
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“I want to be able to look after my family and friends, and I can do it better if I look after myself. So, I’ve kind of enjoyed learning to say no to people.”
What are stents?
Experts at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) pointed out that stents “can save lives”.
Professor Simon Redwood explained stents are inserted via an “angioplasty procedure”.
Cylindrical in shape, stents are made from “a very fine metal mesh” that varies in length but tend to be up to 5mm in diameter.
The “painless” procedure opens up narrowed arteries caused by heart disease.
Heart disease occurs when fatty substances build up in the arteries, thereby restricting blood flow to vital organs including the heart.
Symptoms of heart disease, notes the NHS, includes:
- Chest pain (angina)
- Shortness of breath
- Pain throughout the body
- Feeling faint
- Feeling sick (nausea).
Fatty substances first build up in the arteries because of the regular consumption of alcoholic beverages, smoking, and having a fatty diet.
Preludes to heart disease can include: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Anybody who has had a stent inserted should consider implementing healthy lifestyle changes.
These include eating a low-fat, low-salt diet, and exercising on a regular basis.
Series five of Gone Fishing, which has six episodes, airs on BBC Two on Friday, September 6 at 9pm.
You can catch up with season one to four of Gone Fishing on BBC iPlayer.
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