HOMES Under The Hammer host Martin Roberts has admitted his struggle to come to terms with almost dying.
Martin, 59, was hours from death earlier this year when his heart, kidneys and liver began to give up.
Instagram/@martinrobertstvMartin Roberts has been struggling over his near-death experience[/caption]
SuppliedThe 59-year-old was just hours from death[/caption]
He fell ill suddenly when a protective sack around his heart became severely inflamed and filled with a blood-type fluid.
Quick-thinking medics gave him a second chance at life as they drained more than a litre of fluid from around the organ.
Despite making a full recovery, Martin has told of the mental toll being so close to death has had on him.
Speaking at The Sun’s Who Cares Wins Awards, Martin – who is married to Kirsty and has children Scott, 15, and Megan, 12 – said: “The physical side of almost dying is a really hard thing to deal with but the mental side it much more difficult.
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“It makes you realise we’re finite. You can’t take anything for granted because it was a normal Tuesday and I was a reasonably healthy person.
“You realise it can all stop as quick as that… the wife, kids, career, business – bang, gone, boom – in an instant.
“I haven’t come to terms with that. I still struggle with it.
“It changes your perception on everything. You try not to sweat the small stuff because you know it’s insignificant, but it’s tough.
“I’ve tried to take that in a positive way and know I have been given another opportunity.
“We are literally just here once and we need to make a difference while we’re here.”
Martin says he broke down in tears while watching our health heroes be honoured at The Sun’s Who Cares Wins Awards.
“You hear these stories of people’s personal struggles or sacrifices and it brings you back to some kind of reality,” he says.
“We worry about all sorts of things, then you hear these stories, and you realise they are trifling.
“Having nearly died in April, the poignancy of some of this stuff..”
Emotional Martin broke off, before adding: “I’ve cried on a number of occasions because I’ve been there, done that.
“It puts things in a different perspective. These people save lives like mine. Most of it goes unnoticed. It’s really great we notice them.
“It’s absolutely heartwarming in a world of really troubling problems when you realise there’s this constant heartbeat of people getting on and making a difference.”
Martin’s condition caused symptoms such as breathlessness, tightness in the chest, light-headedness and low blood pressure.
Often it is caused by cancer or a virus, and in rare cases a bacterial or fungal infection is to blame. It is not clear what caused it in Martin’s case but doctors have ruled out cancer.
In his case it led to cardiac tamponade, where the fluid puts pressure on the heart and stops it pumping efficiently.
The presenter is now back co-hosting Homes Under The Hammer co-hosts Martel Maxwell and Dion Dublin.
Martin — who was in I’m A Celebrity in 2016 – also hosts a talkRADIO show.