Jeremy Clarkson has opened up about his dementia fears, sharing a health update that "most of my body doesn't really work anymore."
The 63-year-old revealed that he has been dealing with hearing issues for 12 years now, prompting him to worry about his future health.
After discovering a link between hearing loss and dementia, the Clarkson's Farm star revealed that he has decided to take action.
Writing in his new column for The Times: “This has been going on for 12 years and, being a tolerant sort of guy, I've coped.
“But I was told after my most recent medical that hearing loss will double the chance of me catching dementia. Maybe it's already happening. That would explain why I can never find my spectacles.”
After learning about the connection, the Top Gear star decided to seek medical advice and was told that his hearing is worse for certain words.
He joked that, unluckily for his girlfriend Lisa Hogan, “dishwasher” is one of them.
The NHS states that the risk of getting dementia almost doubles if you have untreated mild hearing loss.
The risk of developing the disease also triples if you have untreated hearing loss, with you then five times more likely to develop dementia.
The health service says it is not fully known why there is a link between dementia and hearing loss but that wearing hearing aids sooner could help reduce the risk.
Jeremy explained that his brain is having to ‘use a huge amount of computing power’ trying to fill in the gaps in sentences due to him not hearing certain words.
He added: “That's why, sometimes, when I'm asked to get some coal from the bunker, what I hear is: ‘Would you like some more wine?’”
The TV presenter has now got himself a pair of “snazzy” hearing aids to help him with the health issue.
It comes as Jeremy previously shared a concerning health update this year as a doctor warned he could suffer an “agonising and premature death” if he doesn’t quit chewing nicotine gum.
The Grand Tour host had developed the habit in a bid to quit smoking but was told using the nicotine gum can have a negative effect.
He told The Sun: “Six years ago I bit the bullet and replaced my 40-a-day habit with sheet after sheet of full-strength nicotine gum.
“And this week a doctor said it’s causing a worrying rise in my blood pressure and that if I don’t pack it in soon, I will suffer from an agonising and premature death.”
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