Martin Roberts has opened up about his near-death experience after having emergency heart surgery while participating in The Big Celebrity Detox.
The 59-year-old Homes Under the Hammer presenter recently shared how he was told he had ‘a few hours to live’ after being rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery.
After his health scare, Martin signed up for an E4 reality TV show, in which stars try very strange therapies, like drinking their own urine.
He previously confessed that his near death experience made him willing to try anything, which prompted him to sign up for the new TV show.
And in the debut episode of The Big Celebrity Detox, obtained by MailOnline, Martin admitted that he was “turned upside down” by his health anxiety.
Candid: Martin Roberts has spoken candidly about his near-death experience after undergoing emergency heart surgery while taking part in The Big Celebrity Detox
While introducing himself during the grueling show, which came with a warning to viewers not to try the chores at home, Martin reflected on his “terrifyingly awful year.”
He said, “This year has been a terrifyingly horrible year for me. A few months ago I had a near-death experience and it touched me deeply.
“I actually want this to make a difference, do I think it’s going to happen? The jury is gone.’
Throughout the first episode, Martin took part in a series of extreme tasks, including drinking his own urine and digesting seeds that induce vomiting.
However, the real estate expert remained unconvinced by the effects of the challenges and expressed his feelings to spiritual expert Sah D’Simone.
When told the first task would be drinking his own urine, Martin shared his doubts about the very unique challenge.
He said, “How can something that your body throws out as a waste product be good for you?”
Despite his concerns, Martin took part in the challenge alongside his co-stars, including Kerry Katona, Megan Barton-Hanson and Princess Olga Romanoff.
After drinking his urine, Martin confessed, “That’s absolutely disgusting.”
Struggles: The Homes Under the Hammer presenter, 59, recently shared how he was told he had ‘a few hours to live’ after being rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery
Oh dear! After his health scare, Martin signed up for an E4 reality TV show, in which stars try very strange therapies, like drinking their own urine.
In the second challenge, the group took part in a “Pinon Blanco Ceremony,” where the celebrities ate seeds and drank water to make them vomit.
With a flashing on-screen warning to viewers not to attempt the task at home, all the stars decided to participate in the challenge, except for Olga Romanoff, who was medically cleared.
Expert Chris consoled the stars when he said, “It’s not as bad as it sounds…even throwing up, you’ll enjoy it.”
But Martin wondered, “You’re asking us to take a drug so strong it makes my body go crazy and make me throw up, how can that be okay?”
Martin again took part in the extreme challenge, but confessed that he didn’t feel “lighter” or “better” afterwards as he felt unwell.
The celebrities all puked in buckets in front of the camera as they sat together in a circle while being supported by experts during the very grueling reality TV show.
Afterwards, Martin spoke to Love Island star Toby Aromolaran about the task, but again expressed doubts.
He said, “I thought that was a bunch of rubbish… what, do you feel spiritually enlightened?”
And Toby agreed: ‘No, I don’t at all to be honest, I feel like I’m in worse shape now than I was before’
Martin added: “I feel worse than when I arrived, and it’s not supposed to be that way.”
The show’s debut episode concluded with a pledging ceremony, where Chloe Veitch was awarded beads for being the most improved celebrity.
During the ceremony, Martin once again shared his doubts, admitting that he found the vomiting “dangerous” and “terrible.”
He said: “I thought today was terrible, I thought it was dangerous and irresponsible and I couldn’t stand so many people suffering so much pain for what on the face of it is very little profit to me.
“I’ve watched with horror what people go through… Don’t abuse our trust!”
His appearance on The Big Celebrity Detox comes after Martin revealed doctors said he only had ‘a few hours to live’ after being rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery.
He underwent the life-saving surgery last year after mistaking chest pain for long-term Covid.
Martin discovered he was suffering from pericardial effusion, a buildup of fluid in the structure around the heart, and had emergency surgery that saved his life.
Speak against The Sun’s TV MagMartin said, “A year ago I had a problem with my heart that went unnoticed.
Tough times: In the debut episode of The Big Celebrity Detox, obtained by MailOnline, Martin admitted that he had been ‘turned upside down’ by his health anxiety
Open-minded: He previously confessed that his near-death experience made him willing to try anything, which prompted him to sign up for the new TV show
“The sac around my heart had expanded and put pressure on the heart. I had less than a few hours to live.
“If I hadn’t been in the right place… Three weeks earlier I was on the road in a van and if it had happened then I would have been dead.”
Martin added that his health anxiety made him want to “try everything,” so he signed up for The Big Celebrity Detox.
Martin previously described his terrifying hospital ordeal on This Morning, telling Phillip Schofield and Rochelle Humes that he had been suffering from chest pains for several weeks but just assumed they had long been Covid.
He said: ‘I’ve been feeling a little bad for a few weeks because of the bad weather. I’ve had a few respiratory infections over the years and I’ve had asthma since childhood, so I’m used to a pretty tight chest.
“As the Easter holiday weekend approached, things started to get really bad. I could barely walk without gasping for breath.”
He added, “The confusing thing about this, it’s a bit of a distraction, is it gets you into the breathing side of things so you don’t think it has anything to do with your heart.”
“You think, ‘It must have something to do with my chest.'” Then it’s the dangerous thing about playing Google doctor.
“It seemed like it could be the symptoms of a long Covid – real lethargy, chest tightness, chest pain, difficulty breathing, so you pause and pause and by the time it’s just after the official holiday is the weekend, I started delirious, misdirected letters, I said to Kirsty, “We have to go to the hospital.”
His wife Kirsty added: ‘Really worrying. We are thankful that we went to the ER then.’
Pericardial effusion causes excess fluid to clog the sac around the heart known as the pericardium.
Symptoms may include shortness of breath, chest pain, discomfort when breathing, feeling light-headed, or swelling in the abdomen or legs.
While the condition can be treated with medication, in severe cases, doctors may perform surgery to drain the excess fluid.
Health scares: Martin previously described his terrifying hospital ordeal on This Morning, telling how he had been suffering from chest pains for weeks but just assumed it was Covid for a long time
Martin explained that he needed surgery because the fluid buildup had put so much strain on his heart, causing organ failure.
He said to Phillip and Rochelle, “There’s a sac around your heart and it filled with fluid, it’s called a pericardial effusion and that in turn is something called a tapenade, which basically means that this sac is filling the heart compresses what it’s wrapped around, so the heart can’t expand and therefore can’t pump, so it means all your organs are starting to fail.
“By the time they got to me, my kidneys were at 30 percent, my liver was at 30 percent, my lungs were deprived of oxygen, and at any time I could have had a heart attack…. The heart would have been strangled by itself.’
He added, “We’re talking minutes of life stroke hours.”