Jeremy Clarkson shares health update after undergoing heart surgery last week

He has previously said he 'fears he does not have long left’

The Top Gear star told the Sunday Times that after a recent holiday, he was struggling to use the stairs, and noticed things getting worse as he returned home to the UK.

He said he felt 'clammy', a 'tightness in my chest', and 'pins and needles in my left arm'.

After reading about Alex Salmond's death last weekend, Clarkson decided to see his doctor.

He was then taken to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital by ambulance however tests ruled out a heart attack.

He added that doctors believed he was just 'days away' from becoming seriously ill.

Since the surgery the petrol-head turned farmer has since issued an update on his health to reassure his fans of his current wellbeing.

Clarkson told the Sun: "I'm very grateful to everyone who sent supportive messages but I'm fine."

And, in another classic Clarkson quip, the presenter said: "I just have to not do any manual labour or dishwasher emptying for the next four years. At least I think that's what the doctor said."

Speaking to the Guardian earlier this year, the 64-year-old said: "I don’t have long. I’ve probably only got what, 70,000 hours left, maybe?"

Reflecting on the ordeal he told the Sunday Times: "It seems that of the arteries feeding my heart with nourishing blood, one was completely blocked, and the second of three was heading that way."

After a two-hour operation, a stent was fitted to keep one of the arteries open.

Clarkson, who quit his 40-a-day cigarette habit seven years ago, explained that the scare made him think: "Crikey, that was close."

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In his Sunday Times column Clarkson said: "The next morning I went home, and here I am, two hours later, writing this and sort of thinking, 'Crikey, that was close.'”