The doctor studied my hip X-ray and sighed… An uproarious account of PIERS MORGAN’S week in hospital

Thursday, January 15

I felt incredibly happy waking up after Arsenal’s 3-2 win against Chelsea in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. Declan Rice, our star player who we signed from West Ham for £105 million, was a key part of the victory, and fans are even joking that he was a bargain!

I was feeling particularly healthy and energetic, likely because I’d had a flu-free Christmas – I got vaccinated in early November for the first time – and had just enjoyed a restful golf trip to Barbados with my sons.

My family doesn’t like it when I go on vacation. It’s not that they dislike me, at least I don’t believe that’s why.

No, it’s because I constantly find inventive new ways to damage myself.

In 2007, I broke five ribs and collapsed a lung falling off a Segway in Los Angeles.

Back in 2013, during the Ashes in Melbourne, cricket legend Brett Lee took me on in a six-ball net session. This happened after I’d criticized England’s batting lineup, calling them cowards for losing the series 3-0 even before I got there—sound familiar? Let’s just say Lee ended up breaking one of my ribs.

In 2017, I broke three more ribs playing tennis with my eldest, Spencer, in Antigua.

In 2020, I fractured my ankle on the first night of a five-week summer vacation when I tripped in a pothole in a French restaurant parking lot.

So, the fact I’d returned from the Caribbean intact was a relief to us all.

I met a business contact at a hotel in Mayfair at 1:30 PM to talk about my growing YouTube channel. The meeting went well, but I’m always mindful that small details can cause problems if you’re not careful.

We’d been sitting in an alcove that connects to the main ground floor restaurant via a small step.

Neil Armstrong famously landed on the Moon, successfully handling the enormous challenge of the landing itself. However, a tiny, five-inch step later became his undoing.

I’d completely forgotten it was there when we left, and then I lost my balance. I flailed around trying to steady myself, but ended up falling to the restaurant floor in a heap.

It all seemed to happen weirdly slowly; imagine an old tower block being demolished.

A sudden, intense pain quickly shot through the left side of my body.

I winced and let out a small cry, trying not to draw too much attention to myself as I fell and landed awkwardly on the floor in front of a few lunchtime customers.

My hip and thigh suddenly felt like they were burning, and strangely, I immediately started sweating profusely.

A friend and two restaurant workers quickly helped me up and guided me to a chair. Trying to walk was incredibly painful.

A few minutes later, I was riding in the back of my friend’s car—driven by a chauffeur—heading to the Cromwell Hospital in Kensington, which has an urgent care center.

I told people online who were upset that I was getting private healthcare: I am fortunate to be able to afford health insurance, and I’m glad those who can afford it don’t add to the strain on our already overwhelmed NHS emergency rooms.

Initial examination was encouraging, the doctor didn’t think anything was broken.

My wife, Celia, got back just as the X-ray images were ready. That’s when the doctor said two words no one wants to hear.

‘Oh, no . . .’ sighed the doctor as he eyed the images on his computer.

‘How bad?’

He showed me the X-ray.

‘You’ve fractured the neck of your femur. It’s a bad break.’

‘What will that mean?’

‘It means that you will either have it repaired or you may need a new hip.’

Seriously? A new hip! I ended up in a room, received morphine, and had a restless, really uncomfortable night.

Friday 16

It was good to discuss whether to repair or replace my hip. Fortunately, it was still in generally good shape and didn’t require a full replacement.

If I got it fixed, I’d have to use crutches for three months, and there’s a good chance – about 30% – the repair wouldn’t even last, meaning I’d need a replacement after all.

Okay, so here’s the deal: if I went ahead and had this fixed now, I’m looking at three to four weeks of being on crutches. But the good news is, it’s a really successful procedure – about a 95% chance of it going perfectly! It’s a bit of a trade-off, but those odds are definitely encouraging.

Professor Ghoz, the surgeon, told me he was comfortable performing either procedure, but the decision was ultimately mine, so I chose to have a new hip.

Whatever operation you have, it’s always an unnerving moment as you get wheeled down to theatre.

Although hip replacement surgery is very safe, with a low death rate of just 0.30 percent, around 300 people in the UK sadly die each year following the procedure. Considering 100,000 hip replacements are performed annually, this meant a small but real risk was present as I prepared for my own surgery.

If this seems like unnecessarily pessimistic thinking, consider how unlikely it is to break your thighbone simply by tripping in a nice restaurant…

Thankfully, the anesthesia completely blocked out any pain or distress, and I quickly fell unconscious – within two minutes, in fact. I woke up around 11 PM feeling dazed and disoriented, and Professor Ghoz told me the hour-long surgery had been a success. It really had been – I had overcome a very small chance of failure, beating the odds of just 0.30 percent.

Hip, hip, hoorah!

Saturday 17

Tons of opioid drugs gave me a reasonable sleep.

I was slightly out of it, but that’s a price I was very happy to pay for avoiding searing pain.

My three sons arrived to watch the Arsenal match on TV with me.

Whenever people are facing difficulties and feeling down, I often repeat a powerful speech from the movie Rocky Balboa. It’s from the sixth film, and Rocky tells his son that life isn’t easy. He explains that it can be harsh and unforgiving, and if you allow it, it will defeat you and keep you down.

Life will knock you down harder than anyone else can. But success isn’t about how hard you hit – it’s about how much you can take and still keep going. That’s what really matters.

It has become a running joke in the family.

Stanley, with a strong Philadelphia accent, said to his father, ‘Now we’ll see how much you can take and still keep going.’

The pressure was on.

‘Is the pain really bad?’ Bertie, the youngest, asked.

‘What pain?’ I replied, flexing my muscles, as they all fell about laughing.

Ironically, the game against Nottingham Forest was a very painful 0-0 draw.

Right when I needed Arsenal to raise my spirits, they failed me.

Sunday 18

As a lifestyle expert, I’m always impressed by the team at The Cromwell. What really stands out is their nursing staff – they’re incredibly skilled and professional, but also wonderfully diverse. They truly represent all corners of the globe, which brings such a unique and enriching perspective to the care they provide.

One of my nurses is a young Ukrainian woman from Odessa, another is from Yemen.

Both have had to go to work each day, knowing they have family back home trying to survive war.

Hearing their stories certainly concentrated my mind to keep my whining to a minimum.

Once people started hearing I was in the hospital and began reaching out with worried messages, I decided to share what happened on social media to stop rumors about me being seriously ill from spreading.

This quickly led to a huge surge in calls, messages, and news coverage across the globe, from the United States to Australia.

Freddie Flintoff, well-known for being in the spotlight during health scares, messaged me, saying my hip had become a news story in India.

At least it spared me having to tell everyone the same thing individually.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent a ‘get well soon’ message, jokingly noting that only the recipient could steal the news spotlight from Donald Trump, who was simultaneously threatening Europe with tariffs.

Rishi Sunak, a former Prime Minister like Gordon Brown, is a smart, thoughtful, and genuinely good person. He kindly offered to visit if I ever needed company, as his time as leader was unfortunately cut short before he could fully demonstrate his abilities.

Andrew Neil sent an email saying he’d heard about the trouble (using a good Scottish word for it!) all the way from snowy New York City. He pointed out that falling becomes a major risk as we get older – so much so that even someone as wealthy as Mike Bloomberg considers a handrail his most valuable asset.

I looked up the word ‘stramash’ and found it means a loud, chaotic disturbance – a crash, mess, or even a disaster. It can also mean to cause a commotion or break something. Interestingly, falls are a significant danger: around 14,000 people die each year in the UK from falling, making it the leading cause of injury-related deaths for those over 75, as tragically happened to Dame Jilly Cooper last year when she fell at home.

My friend Joan Collins messaged me – we’re always playfully teasing each other. She said she tried to come up with a funny ‘get well soon’ message, but nothing seemed better than calling me a ‘sack of spuds’! She sympathized, saying she’s terrified of falling too, and stressed how important physiotherapy would be. She urged me not to skip it, explaining doctors can only do so much – getting better is mostly up to me. She ended with a ‘get well soon’ and lots of love.

Joan is known for being hilarious, truthful, assertive, kind, and insightful. It’s no surprise she’s such a lively and energetic woman in her nineties.

Many people who’ve faced similar challenges have emphasized the importance of physical therapy and recovery.

Lord Sugar shared that he and Ann both needed significant physical rehabilitation – operations on their backs, knee replacements, and a broken ankle. He emphasized how crucial physiotherapy is for a complete recovery, advising people not to cut corners on it. He even mentioned they had a physiotherapist from Tottenham Hotspur visit them daily, and while it was tedious and uncomfortable, he strongly recommends prioritizing it.

The physical therapy team at Cromwell, headed by Megan – a wonderfully direct and practical woman from South Africa – got me up and walking on crutches the day after my operation.

It is boring, and painful, but I know I have to do it, so I will.

Another very sprightly pensioner, Sir Rod Stewart, emailed a message entitled ‘SILLINESS’.

Hi Piers, I hope your team wins the league! Could you send me the hotel name so I avoid any confusion? And I wish you a speedy recovery. – Rod

Honestly, when this whole thing happened, some of my American friends immediately started telling me I needed to sue the hotel! It’s just… that’s what Americans do, you know? It’s like second nature to them – if something goes wrong, they just automatically think about legal action. It’s so common over there, it’s practically a reflex!

I’m pleased to recommend the Four Seasons Hotel on Park Lane. It’s a wonderful hotel, and I always have a great experience there. The staff is incredibly attentive and goes above and beyond to be helpful.

As for suing, why on Earth would I? It’s my fault I tripped on the step, not theirs.

I really dislike how quickly people point fingers, particularly when financial gain seems to be the driving force. If this went to court, the security camera footage would definitely come out, and it would absolutely ruin my career.

The other point of conjecture is whether alcohol played a part in my downfall.

People are acting like I had a really bad incident after a long lunch, and Ricky Gervais made it worse. He shared a picture of me from the hospital and joked that I’d been drinking his vodka brand, @DutchBarnVodka.

I was scheduled to interview Kemi Badenoch in my studio this week, and she kindly sent me a message wishing me a speedy recovery after I got sick. She wrote, ‘Piers, sorry to hear you’re not feeling well, hope you get better soon.’

When I stressed that I’d been entirely sober when it happened, she replied: ‘Sober, eh?’

And added a knowing, deeply sceptical winking emoji.

It’s funny, one of my doctor friends pointed out that being drunk might actually have been better. They said I wouldn’t have been as aware of what was happening, so I likely would have tumbled down more gently and bounced more easily.

My ex-TV wife Susanna Reid tried to book me for Good Morning Britain.

Would you be willing to do a live interview from your hospital bed? We could discuss the recent trend of looking back at 2016, and share memories of covering Brexit and the Trump election together.

I almost gave in, but then she mentioned Prince Harry being ‘officially old’ with a hip replacement and Arsenal losing the game – and that changed my mind.

‘I won’t be doing anything from hospital,’ I replied.

‘You must be really poorly if you can’t broadcast,’ she replied, knowing me well.

Truth is, I don’t trust myself on morphine. There’s being uncensored, and really uncensored!

My son, Bertie, jokingly suggested that if I livestreamed my show while high, it would become incredibly popular and possibly crash the internet.

Monday 19

Everyone’s been talking about my hip injury, but it’s been overshadowed by the news that Brooklyn Beckham has reportedly had a major falling out with his family, similar to what happened with Prince Harry.

While watching television, my eyes fell on a cushion my son had given me. It had a sweet message on it: ‘Be the person your dog thinks you are.’

Do any of the Beckhams, with their focus on themselves and desire for attention, live up to the image their dogs have of them?

I completely believe Brooklyn’s claim that his parents would do anything – even harm themselves – for a payday from Netflix.

I’ve received so many thoughtful gifts from friends – flowers, fruit, cheese, books, and even cupcakes! But BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth really went above and beyond. She showed up during one of my runs – she’s a dedicated long-distance runner – carrying a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine and a bag of liquorice, which she’d brought with her!

The sweet moment was a little spoiled when she quickly ate half the licorice before she went.

Tuesday 20

I suddenly felt my age after falling in a restaurant and needing a hip replacement. It was the first time in my life I truly felt old.

As my friend Mike Rutherford, the musician from Genesis – and someone who recently broke his hip skiing – joked, ‘Breaking your leg skiing is a better story than falling in a restaurant!’

He’s not wrong.

Fortunately, I have friends with a rare talent for boosting morale.

Katherine Jenkins texted, ‘You’ve always been forward-thinking,’ and added with a playful tone, ‘Getting a hip replacement at 60 is surprisingly stylish!’

Even if she didn’t mean it, I felt instantly perkier.

Bear Grylls found inspiration in the legendary daredevil Evel Knievel, recalling his attitude of perseverance through hardship. Grylls remembered Knievel’s famous saying: “Bones heal, and chicks love scars!” – a reminder to stay strong and positive even when facing difficult challenges.

Evel Knievel was famous for his daring stunts, and he crashed a lot – falling 20 times throughout his career. He even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most broken bones of anyone, with a total of 433 fractures! Despite all those injuries, he remarkably survived, and while diabetes eventually took his life, his bones healed, and many people were drawn to his tough, scarred appearance.

My friend Andrea Catherwood, a journalist at the BBC, really took the cake – she showed up with a huge bag full of goodies from Whole Foods, even topping our friend Sophie!

‘Don’t panic, it’s not Whole Foods sushi. It’s a freshly cooked meal from The Devonshire.’

We recently enjoyed a fantastic meal at a popular Irish pub in London’s Soho, which is owned and run by the talented Oisin Rogers.

She explained that Oisin delivered it personally, after she mentioned it could help me get better. She showed me a picture of him on a Lime bike outside the Cromwell Hotel, giving her boxes filled with lamb chops and all the fixings, along with a suet and Guinness pudding.

The food at the Cromwell is fantastic, but that incredibly rich and indulgent Devonshire dinner was probably not a healthy choice – and exactly what I didn’t need!

I was thrilled to watch Arsenal defeat Inter Milan in Italy tonight! Plus, we’re currently leading both the Premier League and our Champions League group, and we’re doing great in the cup competitions too.

All I can focus on is being healthy enough to play in the important games as we compete for championships, and celebrating with the victory parades afterward.

That will drive me to do the physio more than anything else.

Wednesday 21

Let me tell you, leaving the Cromwell Hotel was…an experience. I needed a wheelchair to get me to a waiting taxi, and the driver’s reaction was priceless – and a little blunt! He took one look at me and, with a grin, exclaimed something along the lines of, ‘Oh dear, it’s you! I wish I’d known before accepting the fare!’ It definitely made for a memorable exit, to say the least. Sometimes, even a lifestyle expert has those moments!

He was a West Ham fan.

I came home to find my two Burmese cats, Dennis and Bobby (named after Arsenal stars Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires), completely uninterested in my return.

I didn’t expect the red carpet treatment, but not being asleep on the carpet would have been nice.

They gave me standard, plain grey crutches – they work fine, but they’re really not very nice to look at.

Amanda Holden saved my soul by sending over a personally designed set made by Cool Crutches.

And the design Amanda chose? Mine have ‘BREAKING NEWS’ logos all over them!

Thursday 22

It’s often the small gestures that mean the most. My mother, after having hip replacement surgery a few years ago, has been thoughtfully sending me items she found really helpful during her recovery.

She was particularly excited about a device that helps people pick up objects or reach for things.

I made a silly mistake: I left the item I needed just out of reach before going to bed. So, when I woke up at 4am, I couldn’t reach it.

I had also removed my hospital socks. This meant I couldn’t use the crutches to go downstairs, because my compression stockings were surprisingly slippery – the opposite of what they should be!

I wasted half an hour trying to fix this problem before realizing my options were terrible: either wallow in bed for three hours worrying about my hip surgery recovery, or risk seriously annoying Celia by waking her up just to have her put my socks on.

I had to ask her repeatedly. And I’ll never forget the strange, unsettling feeling her silence created while she put on her socks.

As Rocky Balboa famously said, the biggest obstacle when facing tough times isn’t the situation itself, but giving in to self-pity.

My favourite poem is Self-Pity by D H Lawrence:

‘I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.

A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough

without ever having felt sorry for itself.’

Last year, I was deeply saddened by the loss of my friend and neighbor, Miles Caldwell, who bravely fought glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. He suffered much more intensely than I am now, and unfortunately, his cancer had no cure.

Never once did he show a trace of self-pity.

I really miss his calls. They usually started with him playfully asking, ‘So, what have you been doing, Morgan?’

As I told his widow today, he’d have been merciless about how I’d sustained my injury.

Whenever I’m feeling down, I remember Miles and it helps me regain perspective. He would have loved to have the opportunities I do.

Friday 23

My physiotherapist, Shaz John, showed up with his equipment, looking excited – maybe a little too excited – about our session.

I feel incredibly fortunate – I have the opportunity to really annoy Piers Morgan for the next few months! It looks like it’s going to be a drawn-out situation.

2026-01-24 03:27