Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he’s at an increased risk of developing dementia.
The former Top Gear presenter explained how recent hearing loss will ‘double the chance’ of him getting the neurological diagnosis.
Clarkson explained that his ‘body doesn’t really work anymore', with things from his eyesight to balance not quite being what they once were.
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And now the 63-year-old’s been told he needs hearing aids.
While The Clarkson's Farm star says some people might think he just has ‘selective hearing’, it’s actually much more serious as he gets ‘unkind’ comments for asking for things to be repeated.
Clarkson wrote in his column for The Sunday Times: “My brain is having to use a huge amount of computing power trying to fill in the bits of speech it hasn’t been able to hear.
"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.”
He added: “Maybe it’s already happening. That would explain why I can never find my spectacles.”
The NHS say that research into the links between hearing loss and dementia finds that the risk of getting dementia almost doubles if you have an untreated mild hearing loss.
And then, with moderate hearing loss, the risk triples – with severe untreated hearing loss, you’re five times more likely to develop dementia.
And while it’s not fully yet known just why this link exists (or what else may influence it), it’s thought that wearing hearing aids sooner and more regularly could help reduce the risk.
After this appointment for his hearing loss, Clarkson went for further tests and is now using ‘very snazzy and extremely clever’ listening devices.
The Grand Tour star explained: “At drinks parties they will automatically dial down the background twaddle. I can also Bluetooth them to my phone, and while I haven’t read the instruction book yet (and never will), I bet you any money I will be able to program them to mute certain sounds.”
Clarkson previously wrote in his column that his health had been worrying him when it comes to his beloved farming.
Clarkson wrote: “Like almost every other farmer in Britain these days, I’m in my early sixties, and so are my knees. Which means that while I can get on top of things, I can’t jump off them any more for fear that my legs will bend the wrong way and that’ll be that for six months.”
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Jeremy Clarkson
Jess Battison