At 44, this renowned stand-up comedian shares his unique perspective on life after facing heart failure and a stroke. He discusses his newfound understanding of mortality, honed his ability to agree to disagree, and his strive to lead by example.
His morning ritual:
He starts his day with a 90-minute gym session. Rather than indulging in breakfast or coffee, he prefers not to eat until 1pm or 2pm.
His optimism:
Despite experiencing heart failure while performing in Dubai in 2019, and subsequently suffering a mini-stroke upon returning to the UK, his optimism for life remains strong. These health scares have gifted him a new appreciation of life and a fresh perspective on potential risks.
His triggers:
Despite being more relaxed since his heart failure, two things continue to irk him: rudeness, viewed as an unnecessary choice, and the current state of the world, which he attributes to a minority wielding too much power.
His alternate career choice:
If he hadn’t pursued comedy, he would have liked to be a professional rugby player. He continues to play whenever he gets a chance.
His life habits:
Punctuality forms the basis of his work ethic, and he prefers to arrive early, avoiding rush. He successfully quit smoking in 2019, after misattributing his heart failure symptoms to lung cancer.
His joy:
His three children are his sources of joy. When he’s with them, nothing else matters. His daughter even joins him in watching Netflix.
His coping mechanism for tough times:
When things get tough, he believes in starting over. He acknowledges that both giving up and starting again are hard but sees the latter as providing more rewards.
His book recommendation:
He suggests everyone should read Richard Pryor’s autobiography ‘Pryor Convictions: And Other Life Sentences’ for its raw depiction of Pryor’s life and struggles, despite its grammatical imperfections.
His life philosophy:
Over time, he has learned that not everyone needs to agree with him and has given up arguing. He respects that people are different and doesn’t let disagreements affect his mood. His motivation comes from setting an example for his children, showing them the rewards of hard work.
His nocturnal struggle:
At night, thoughts about his show keep him awake, often compelling him to get up and write them down.
His learned life lessons:
His mother taught him resilience and how to recover from setbacks. From his father, he learned what type of parent he didn’t want to be. If he could advise his younger self, he wouldn’t change anything for fear of altering the present, but he would take comfort in the knowledge that things would improve.
