Jeremy Clarkson has shared the ‘painful treatment’ he received in the NHS just hours after publishing his column in which he criticised the health service
10:04, 13 Oct 2025Updated 10:04, 13 Oct 2025
Jeremy Clarkson was rushed to hospital(Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz, Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Jeremy Clarkson was rushed to hospital just weeks after slamming the NHS. In his Sunday Times column, the ex-Top Gear host chose not to detail precisely why he needed urgent medical intervention, merely stating that the procedure was “Defcon 1 painful”, before quipping that “they had to chisel me off the ceiling with a spatula afterwards”.
Jeremy revealed that he had maintained private medical cover for a number years, but claimed he had grown frustrated with how frequently insurers attempted to avoid covering various treatments.
As an alternative, he opted to regularly deposit money into a separate bank account. Nevertheless, when Jeremy urgently required medical attention last weekend, he found himself a considerable two-hour journey from the closest private healthcare facility.
This meant he would be entering an NHS hospital mere hours after his article branding the health service a “creaking old monster” had gone to print.
He quipped: “I had a very hot neck when I realised this and wondered if I should maybe tiptoe into the hospital in a Piers Morgan face mask.”
Jeremy declined to say what his problem actually was(Image: Jam Press/@jeremyclarkson1)
He expressed concern that someone might urinate in his tea as an act of revenge, or even cause him physical harm.
However, he found the NHS staff to be the epitome of professionalism and left the hospital the next morning unscathed. “It was OK,” he said, “I’ve slept in way worse hotels.”
Despite criticising the health service in his column, Jeremy had nothing but praise for the treatment he received. He continued: “I genuinely couldn’t find anything to moan about at all.
“The doctors, the nurses and everyone I met were kind. It was all spotless. Lunch was kids’ food-brilliant, and they even made me better – for which I shall be eternally grateful.”
However, Jeremy still insists that the NHS is simply too expensive in its current form, warning that the chancellor will have to raise taxes to sustain it.
He added: “Rachel Reeves is going to have to fleece absolutely everyone for more cash.
“She targeted the farmers last time. This time, I wouldn’t be surprised if she went after your children’s pocket money. And of course, she’ll tell us she needs more money for the NHS.”
He jokingly suggested a number of things that could be banned to alleviate pressure on the health service, tanning salons, wood-burning stoves, and meat, before proposing that the government might encourage more migrants to move to the UK to reduce wage costs.
He also asserted that the NHS requires a radical overhaul, if not complete dissolution, saying: “It’s an excellent organisation and the frontline staff are superb,” he writes. “But in its current state, we as a nation cannot afford it.”