UPDATE: |Jimmy Carr ‘almost didn’t make it’ after being rushed to hospital News

Comedian Jimmy Carr has opened up about his brush with death after contracting a deadly and life-threatening infection

Comedian Jimmy Carr has shared that he nearly lost his life to a severe infection. The 52-year-old was diagnosed with meningitis as a toddler and found himself “near death” due to the immense toll it took on his body.

As per NHS guidelines, meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes that encase the brain and spinal cord (meninges). It can affect anyone, but is most prevalent in babies, young children, teenagers and young adults.

If not treated promptly, meningitis can become extremely serious, leading to potentially fatal sepsis and causing permanent damage to the brain or nerves. Jimmy was just three years old when he was admitted to a hospital in Ireland for treatment of the infection.

Fortunately, his body was resilient enough to overcome it, but even after 48 years, Jimmy vividly recalled the sensation of being so close to death at such a tender age. Speaking on the Where There’s A Will, There’s A Wake podcast with Kathy Burke, Jimmy said: “The doctor sort of went, ‘It’s going to be very painful’.”

However, the experience gave the star a profound appreciation for life and good health, reports the Mirror. Jimmy also shared a personal anecdote with host Kathy as he 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.”

He recalled : “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’.

Discussing how he might like to die, Jimmy said: “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.”

For anyone concerned about the signs of meningitis or septicaemia, it’s crucial to seek immediate medical assistance by contacting your GP or NHS 111; in urgent cases, call 999 or head straight to the nearest accident and emergency department.