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Privacy NoticeComedian Jimmy Carr has shared a shocking revelation about his brush with death as a child due to a severe infection. The 51 year old comic, known for his controversial humour, was diagnosed with meningitis as a toddler, leaving him ‘close to death’ due to the immense toll it took on his body. As per NHS guidelines, Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord (meninges). This condition can affect anyone but is most prevalent in babies, young children, teenagers and young adults. If not treated promptly, meningitis can lead to life-threatening sepsis and cause permanent damage to the brain or nerves.
Funny man Jimmy Carr was close to death when he was a toddler
(Image: nme/netflix)
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Jimmy, who recently dropped a hint that he has welcomed a second child, was just three years old when he was hospitalised and treated for the infection in Ireland. Thankfully, his body was resilient enough to recover, but even after 48 years, Jimmy vividly remembers the terrifying experience of being so close to death at such a tender age. The star, who will be gracing our screens this weekend with two new shows – 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown on Friday at 9pm and game show Jimmy Carr’s I Literally Just Told You airing straight after at 10pm, gained an incredible appreciation for life and good health after going through the ordeal.
Jimmy is the host of 8 out of 10 cats
(Image: Getty Images for Bob Woodruff Foundation)
During a recent chat on the podcast Where There’s A Will, There’s A Wake with Kathy Burke, Jimmy said: “You’ve got to be cruel to be kind … I think that is the first thing I ever said that my mother thought was funny. I had meningitis when I was a child. So my first memory is a lumbar puncture in Limerick in the General hospital. I was three, I think, and … I was always told it was very close to death.” “The doctor sort of went, ‘It’s going to be very painful.’ And somehow I’d heard the phrase, and I went, “You’ve got to be cruel to be kind,” in a little child’s voice. And I kind of appreciated that thing of life, because I was always told, “Oh, you nearly didn’t make it”.
Jimmy nearly died
As if the subject wasn’t sombre enough, Jimmy also discussed how he envisions himself meeting his maker. The comedian playfully revealed that if it were up to him, he would meet his end being ‘ravaged by sharks’ off the coast of South Africa. With his famous sense of humour intact, Jimmy cheekily stated: “I want my kids and the people that love me to (be able to tell a story like), ‘Oh, Jimmy died… funny story. He flew to South Africa and he went on one of those great shark cage experiences and he forgoed the cage. He said, no cage for me, thanks. I’ll just jump in there with a fish’. And I was ravaged by sharks. That would be a way to go.”Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnJimmy Carr
