Antonio Banderas, 62, reveals that his heart attack in 2017 made him ‘appreciate things more’

Antonio Banderas reflected on what he learned from his heart attack in 2017 when he appeared on Tuesday’s episode of This Morning.

The 62-year-old actor said how the health problem made him appreciate things more and “changed his life completely.”

Antonio was rushed to hospital in 2017 after suffering chest pains while exercising, which was later found to be a heart attack.

He said of the heart attack: ‘It made me appreciate life in a whole different way and in a much more powerful way.

“It changed my life completely and completely for the better.”

Talking about her new movie Puss In Boots, which she was promoting on the show, Holly noted that it deals with heavier themes like death and aging.

Antonio explained: ‘Yes! Now my own life is like that, I’m facing that too!

Change: The actor, 62, said how the health issue made him appreciate things more and ‘changed his life completely’

‘After Covid, the children wondered ‘why can’t we go to school’, it was there in the environment, we took the opportunity to reflect.

‘Children, you know more than we think. They understand and it is good to reflect with them on these issues.

‘What they are learning in the end is to praise life, how wonderful life is. Life is a beautiful thing, we only have one and we have to take care of it.’

Terrifying: Antonio was rushed to hospital in 2017 after suffering chest pains while exercising, later found to be a heart attack.

On reflection: He said of the heart attack: ‘It made me appreciate life in a whole different way and in a much more powerful way’

Antonio was rushed to hospital in 2017 after suffering chest pains while exercising, which was later found to be a heart attack.

Earlier, while starring on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the Mask Of Zorro star credited his girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, 40, with saving his life during the scare by giving her one of the full-strength aspirin he had bought for a pain. headlong the day before your event.

‘He bought this aspirin, which is the only thing he could find and found the maximum, I think it was five milligrams.

“The next morning, when I started to have the symptoms and I knew clearly what was going on, he put one of those aspirin on the inside of my tongue and that saved my life. So I got a second chance, and a few things have changed in my life since then.’

Rethink: The actor recently described the life-threatening emergency as a “tipping point” from which he was able to “recognize what was important” in his life

Antonio, who doesn’t drink, changed his priorities and quit smoking, which was “probably one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done in my life.”

“I was lucky after all, because a heart attack can kill you like that… In a way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me, having a heart attack.”

Speaking to The Radio Times this week, he described the life-threatening emergency as a “turning point” from which he was able to “recognize what was important” in his life.

Explaining how he could relate to the movie Puss in Boots, he said: “I had a heart attack six years ago. It was probably one of the best things that happened in my life. It was like putting on glasses and seeing what was important.

‘I returned to Spain and began to look at my professional life from a different point of view. So I connect to it in a personal way. I think it’s a beautiful message, and I think it was done correctly.

‘Since my heart attack, I only seek the pleasure of acting. That is. I don’t care about anything else. For me, life begins when someone says: ‘Action!’ – or when the curtain goes up.

Promotional: Antonio was on the show to talk about his new movie Puss in Boots (pictured at the premiere in December)