TV veteran Bert Newton will undergo lifesaving quadruple bypass heart surgery on Saturday.
Talking to the Herald Sun, Bert said he consulted his doctor on Wednesday after experiencing chest pains and was sent straight to the Epworth Hospital in Richmond.
Bert, who is currently being comforted by his wife Patti and their grandchildren, says he is not nervous about the surgery and is feeling optimistic.
“Obviously it’s not the sort of thing you would wish upon yourself, but I am philosophical,” he said.
“It’s something that is going to be quite a journey that I’ve not made before.”
He also said his diagnosis has made him realise how important it is to have health issues checked out.
“It’s brought it home to me, all the things that I’ve been saying about what men should do, I should have been a little bit more closer to it myself,” he said.
“Because I’ve had some chest pains and I sort of fobbed them off and said, you know, it’s indigestion or whatever… and I came in for a check-up because I had some stents in my heart, and turns out it’s a little more serious than that.”
Bert will remain in hospital for at least two weeks following his surgery.
