Ray Meagher joked "life clearly decided to emulate art" with his health problems.
The ‘Home and Away’ legend – who has played Ralf Stewart on the Australian soap since the very first episode aired in 1988 – had an unplanned triple heart bypass over summer after a routine health check revealed several blockages in his arteries.
Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, he said: "It’s been 12 weeks since I went under the chainsaw! Alf’s had ticker problems for years, so life clearly decided to emulate art…
"I didn’t have time to think about it – which is probably a good thing. It makes you count your blessings."
The 75-year-old actor revealed while he’ll still have a big part to play on the Channel 5 show, he’s decided to take a bit of a step back from his role.
He explained: "I’ll still be there more often than not. I had some extra time off last year, and I felt the sun of my face and thought, ‘Ahhh, this is all right!’
"So I asked ‘Home and Away’ to work a few less weeks per year."
Meanwhile, Ray also opened up on the possibility of his time on the show coming to an end, and he admitted he isn’t sure it’ll be his choice.
He laughed: "I really don’t know if I’ll have any say in it. I’m sure that will happen at some point. There are many ways he could go. Perhaps he could just be fishing and nod off…"
His ‘Home and Away’ tenure isn’t over, but Ray did admit he’s "definitely retired" from pantomime season in the UK.
He explained: "You do shows a day, six days a week – and then you have a look at your birth certificate and realise how a lot of your life is behind you rather than in front!"
Ray Meagher jokes about life imitating art with health scare
