It’s been revealed that one of Australia’s best-known TV personalities Bert Newton has had his leg amputated in a “life or death decision”.
The news was announced live on air on The Morning Rush by entertainment reporter Peter Ford. Ford said that the complications grew after Bert, 82, had an infected toe late last year.
“It didn’t seem particularly dramatic (in December), but subsequently a whole series of doctors and specialists and vascular surgeons have all investigated it … things have got worse rather than better,” Ford said.
“The long and the short of it is that he was given the ultimatum: you only have a couple of months to live, but if you have this operation and we amputate your leg, you could have many years ahead.
“A new chapter of his life begins now, hopefully pain-free, but obviously mobility will be an issue … he’s in reasonably good spirits.”
The surgery took place on Saturday 8th May and Bert’s leg was amputated below the knee – allowing for much better functional outcomes than an above-the-knee amputation.
Newton’s health issues were bought to public attention in November 2020 when his wife of 47 years, Patti, posted an image of Bert in a hospital bed on social media.
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“Bert’s been in hospital, all good,” she captioned the image. “He’s got a lot of living to do.”
Despite the ordeal, Ford revealed that both Bert and Patti have a positive outlook and want fans to know that they don’t view the setback as a “sad” story.
“They said, ‘We had a choice. Other people don’t have a choice. Bert wants to keep on living, because he adores Patti, his children and his grandkids, and he wants to have as much time as he can with them’.”
Bert’s agent Jackie Booler has confirmed reports that the surgery occurred after the star suffered complications from an infected toe. She has said that Bert was “doing well”.
Bert is a quadruple Gold Logie-winner and had a career spanning over fifty years in the Australian television industry.
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