Graham Norton confesses he was overcome with emotion before ‘secret’ shoulder surgery as he was forced to confront his own mortality

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Graham Norton shared that he had a breakdown at the hospital prior to his unannounced shoulder replacement surgery earlier this year.

62-year-old chat show icon confessed that the experience stirred up some surprising feelings within him, as it made him face the reality of his own life’s end.

Thus far, the speaker has kept secret the cause of his significant operation, which necessitated him wearing a sling during his public appearances at Eurovision and the BAFTA TV Awards in May.

In the most recent installment of his Wanging On podcast, Graham confessed that the scale of the procedure took him by surprise, leaving him emotionally overpowered as he awaited being rolled into the operating room.

He shared, “I was seated inside a hospital room, not under the influence of any medication at that point, prior to being moved. The experience is overwhelmingly exposing, as one wears a hospital gown, and the peculiar slippers only add to the strange sensation.

In simpler terms, ‘I was deeply moved. I expected it, but the thought of your mortality is overwhelming. It leaves you feeling exposed and fragile at that instant. I must admit, I felt surprisingly emotional about it.’

He went into great detail about the injury on his shoulder, admitting, “Now I have a young part of myself. My shoulder is completely renewed.

‘Sadly, there was no old shoulder left. It was all just ground down.

The first part is made of plastic, resembling a ball-and-socket joint. Now, the other piece is porcelain, reinforced with some titanium implanted in the bone, along with a large incision.

Graham described the surgery as having a significant cut, likening it to a shark attack. He also mentioned that he received numerous stitches.

‘I mean, it’s a big old I-was-eaten-by-a-shark kind of thing.’

Additionally, he remembered a humorous interaction with his physician during their latest check-up: ‘During my visit to obtain clearance to remove the sling and all related items, they conducted an X-ray.’

He displayed the X-ray to me, then asked, “Shall we snap a photo of this?” I wondered why. He seemed disappointed when I asked, “What’s the point?” He explained, “Others may be interested in seeing it.

Initially, spectators noticed that something seemed unusual when Graham showed up at the BAFTAs in May, sporting a black sling on his left arm.

A fortnight post-surgery, he attended the Eurovision Grand Final sans sling. However, during an interview on BBC Radio 2, he confessed that he was still heavily medicated.

This marks the debut of my newly acquired left shoulder on air, as it’s only about two weeks old.

I find myself in unfamiliar territory, as I’m experiencing some discomfort due to the multiple medications I’m currently taking. Please bear with me if I seem a bit off or say something that isn’t quite right – it’s not my intention, but rather a side effect of my current treatment.

The presenter did not elaborate on what caused his shoulder problems.

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2025-07-29 17:51