Bert and Patti Newton have given an emotional insight into the TV legend’s recovery from his life-threatening quadruple bypass heart surgery, revealing how ‘every morning is a bonus.’
Speaking of the 2012 operation, Australia’s favourite showbiz couple have told how Bert had just a 50 per cent chance of making it through the procedure alive. They also spoke about how two potentially fatal bouts of pneumonia since the operation have left Bert thankful for each and every day.
‘When he had his quadruple bypass, they said it was 50/50 chance,’ Patti told the Herald Sun last week. ‘[Granddaughter] Lola had just been born and all of the rest of the years are bonuses, really.’
Bert went on to say that he reads the death announcements in the newspaper everyday, thankful his name is not in there.
‘I had a bad run for a while health-wise, but now I am pretty good,’ he says. ‘Since [the surgery] I have had a couple of bouts of pneumonia. Every morning when I wake up, I read the death columns in the paper, and if I am not there we get up and away we go.’
The 79-year-old grandfather-of-four went on to credit his loving wife of 43 years, Patti, for nursing him back to health.
‘I am on a leash, sort of. Patti takes extra special care of what I do and particularly what I don’t do.’
Bert’s good health coincides with the recent wedding of their son, Matthew, to his American fiancee Catherine Schneiderman. It is believed the pair tied the knot in August, with Matthew being spotted wearing a wedding band a few days later.
Bert’s health troubles started in November 2012 when he was admitted to hospital with chest pains. Just days later, he was preparing for six hours of quadruple bypass surgery, which Patti admitted had left them all very shaken.
Although Bert’s health appears to be doing better, it is Patti who has made headlines recently due to her admission to hospital after a nasty fall.
Taking to Instagram the bubbly entertainer showed herself in a hospital bed with a neck-brace! See the shocking photo here.
For the full story see this weeks issue of New Idea.
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