TV chef Rick Stein has said that he’s not going to “last that much longer” in the wake of a life saving operation on his heart as he added how he wants to enjoy life as much as possible.
Speaking , Rick, aged 77, said he had been thinking about death “big time” and had been suffering from symptoms of breathlessness for five or six years when he was told he would die without the operation.
He underwent the operation in 2022 at the Royal Brompton Hospital after his cardiologist read his echocardiogram and told Rick that his aorta was failing. Drugs would delay surgery, but only for a while.
Rick said: “And then, a bit over a year ago, he said, ‘You’re going to have to have the op.’ ”
He spoke about his manic depressive father and how his second wife Sarah Burns has looked after him.
Rick Stein has suffered from ill health. (Image: Getty)
He added: “But to be honest, having had the operation and recovered, the improvement in my health has left me tremendously optimistic.
“Even though at my age and with the normal realities of life I’m not going to last that much longer, I think as long as you’ve got your health and you’re optimistic generally and enjoying your life, you don’t tend to ponder too much about how little life you’ve got left.”
He told the Times his Cornish restaurant is in good health despite reporting a pre-tax loss of £347,000 in 2022, as opposed to a profit of £3.7 million the year before.
He said: “I mean, that’s a ridiculous thing. I can’t remember why we were supposed to have made a loss, but we didn’t — it was only part of the business. We’re making profits but, crikey, it’s hard work at the moment.”
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A couple of years back Rick underwent heart surgery. (Image: Getty)
He said the price of fish has been a ‘big problem’ and fuel: “We got clobbered with gas prices. We had to commit [to a price] at the beginning of that year and we thought we’d got it right but we hadn’t.
“We’re not going to go bust, but it’s not a great time to have a business.”
“The problem with restaurants — unless you’re someone that’s been on TV or has Michelin stars — is how do you get young talented people to come and work for you? In the early days in my place, something like 25 per cent of the chefs were good.
“The rest were probably not going to end up being chefs and would do things like put sugar in your boiled potatoes, you know? It would drive you nuts.”
Stein is acclaimed for his food empire, which spans a variety of restaurants, retail shops, and hotels across Britain, as well as captivating cookery shows.
Away from the limelight, Stein enjoys life dividing his time amongst London, Cornwall’s idyllic shores, and sunny Australia.
Stein is renowned for premium dining experiences and his top-selling culinary guides. He’s particularly praised for his ensemble of eateries situated along the southern coast, many of which call the quaint Cornish town of Padstow home.
The chef and his wife Sarah generally split their time between the balmy conditions of Australia and their UK base. A fair share of Stein’s TV series have featured his own homes, such as his coastal retreat in Padstow.