Bob Mortimer no longer fears death after seeing eerie vision during heart surgery
Christopher Snyder
Updated on March 24, 2026
Comedian Bob Mortimer says he saw a white light at the end of a tunnel while undergoing triple heart bypass surgery, and no longer fears death.
The 64-year-old says when he was under the knife in 2015, his heart stopped for 32 minutes and he believes he had a near death experience. Despite the strange experience while undergoing heart surgery, Bob Mortimer doesn’t fear death. Instead, it made the TV believe in an afterlife.
Bob Mortimer no longer fears death after heart surgery
The comedian was told by doctors he risked having a heart attack on stage because 95% of his arteries were blocked. He married his girlfriend of 22 years, Lisa Matthews, the day he was admitted into hospital fearing the diagnosis.
Speaking on the Where There’s A Will, There’s A Wake podcast, Bob Mortimer opened up over his heart surgery to TV star Kathy Burke.
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’.”
However, after opening up his near-death experience and heart surgery, fans told Bob Mortimer it’s something the body does if it’s near the end.
“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.”
‘The worst year for my health’
Despite the scary experience in 2015, the star actually had a terrible time in 2023 after contracting shingles.
He said 2023 was the ‘worst health year’ when doctors explained he lost 20% of muscle function after the painful condition, which is caused by the same virus as chickenpox, ravaged his body.
On the show, Gone Fishing, he told celebrity pal Paul Whitehouse: “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.”
He has also opened up over his struggles with rheumatoid arthritis after being diagnosed in his mid-twenties.
He said of his health: “I just woke up and it was like, ‘bang’.”
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