Home and Away’s Ray Meagher reveals new heart shock and supports Give With Heart day
Ray Meagher has revealed he has undergone more heart surgery, after a shock triple bypass. And the iconic actor has an important message for all Australians.
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Ray Meagher’s sense of humour remains as healthy as ever, but the Home and Away larrikin has revealed he has undergone more heart surgery, after a shock triple bypass last year.
The 76-year-old actor, beloved around the world as Summer Bay statesman Alf Stewart, said he suffered “a few twinges” while doing his post-op exercise six months after his surgery.
But a prompt GP visit discovered the blocked artery, with a Sydney surgeon inserting a life-saving stent within 24 hours of his doctor’s visit.
The jovial TV star joked he was now “ready to take on the marathon at the Tokyo Games, where I’m sure I will medal, as they say;” but used his health scare to remind Australians to commit to regular check-ups.
Meagher has also lent his celebrity to a new Heart Foundation campaign, supporting its fundraiser, ‘Give With Heart Day’ - this Wednesday.
“For me, it’s the same old message: people have got to get checked,” Meagher told News Corp Australia.
“Blokes feel like they’re hypochondriacs or wooses, or something, if they’ve got a bit of a twinge and tend to ignore it. Not all blokes, but a lot do and I think men are worse than women in ignoring those things. Like it’s a dreadful sign of weakness … I don’t know what the rationale is, but they don’t listen to the body and you’ve got to,” he said, firmly.
“If you’re getting a bit of a niggle, then go and see your GP and he’ll send you to the right people. You might be alive instead of dead, and I think that’s a better option.”
Meagher has been diligent about maintaining a healthy diet and keeping up exercise, even while filming the Channel 7 long-running soap.
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“Instead of letting assistant directors or runners drive you from wherever the unit base is on location, down to the set, I always say ‘give me a little bit of notice when they need us’ and I walk each way.”
He added: “The old ticker can creep up on you without giving you warnings and some people aren’t as lucky as me. They don’t get the bloody warning or a twinge … just bang [and gone]. It is just so important to get checked and on a regular basis.”
Donate today and every dollar donated by October 7 will be quadrupled by the Heart Foundation’s donors.