He was rushed to hospital where his arteries were found to be in very poor shape.
And he knows now that he could have died as a result.
At the end of Series Four, he was utterly exhausted, stressed almost beyond sanity and seriously out of shape, so it’s not surprising that his heart and his life were in danger.
Now, I don’t know Mr Clarkson personally, but I imagine that for several years prior to this crisis, doctors were telling him to slow down, eat more wisely and learn to deal better with stress.
I suspect, however, all these suggestions fell on deaf ears.
I’m pretty sure, too, that his partner, Lisa Hogan, who is not just gorgeous but slim and super fit, had probably tried to persuade him to make lifestyle changes.
All this makes me wonder why we are so stubborn in holding on to bad health habits that we know, deep down, are leading to disaster.
Do we want the upset of a major health scare? Do we want to cost the NHS large sums of money? Do we want to distress everyone in our life who loves us?
I assume not, so why does it take a brush with death to make us see sense?
Wouldn’t it be better, here and now, to decide to make lifestyle changes that would steer us into safer waters?
If you agree, why not start altering your habits today?
Identify some strategies that you know it would be wise to make.
This can feel exciting to start with but, one word of caution, please don’t try to make too many improvements all at once or you might feel overwhelmed and give up.
Instead, take positive steps one at a time.
A good way to begin is to take more exercise, because doing this will have a great impact on lifestyle and your future health.
You can start with walking and maybe later build up to adding a Tai Chi or Pilates class, or do some swimming or cycling, or gardening.
Again, don’t try too much too soon.
You could easily injure yourself.
Vary what you do and don’t continue with any one activity for too long at a time.
I doubt if many of you reading this column are smokers, but if you are, you don’t need me to tell you that you are dicing with death.
There are plenty of ways now to help you give up, so ask your doctor what support is available, or download the free NHS Quit Smoking App.
Giving up smoking is one of the quickest ways to improve your health, no matter how old you are.
Next, think about diet.
Good changes are to add more protein to your diet, as well as good fats and lots more fruit and vegetables.
Why not do some research on what foods are good for keeping you alive and out of hospital?
Stick with those and you’ll find you don’t have so much room for too many carbs or processed foods, which are likely to shorten your life.
Mood is important too.
People with optimistic natures find keeping healthy easier than those who are “glass half empty” folk.
So, look out for lovely things that happen in your day – sunshine, birds singing, a toddler laughing, the smile of someone you love, the roses in your garden…
And every evening, before you go to sleep, bring to mind five happy moments or events in your day that have lifted your spirits.
Better still, list them in a notebook.
That way they will stay in your memory.
As well as focusing on positive things to do for your health, if you are determined to live well for longer, it’s wise to be aware of symptoms that you should never ignore.
These include chest pain, breathlessness, persistent aches and pains coupled with fatigue that never seems to go away, unexplained weight loss, balance issues, a tendency to fall, headaches that feel different from usual, blood in urine or faeces and changes in how well you hear or see.
If you suffer from any of these problems, take action and make an appointment at your health centre.
Finally, what can you do if you are worried about someone close to you because he or she seems to be doing all the wrong things health wise and is going downhill but refusing to change or access help?
This is a really tough situation, and one that many of us experience at some point.
So, I was delighted to find a helpful article on this very subject on the British Heart Foundation website.
Here it is: www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/help-people-live-healthy-lifestyle
It seems that Jeremy Clarkson is now quite a reformed character in terms of looking after his health.
I’m sure everyone who loves him is pleased about that, but I imagine they also wish he had addressed these issues before they became so frightening.
Let’s learn from his experience.
