Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger says he "became a little bit more of a machine" with heart surgery last week. On his "Arnold's Pump Club" podcast Monday, the former California governor revealed that he had a pacemaker fitted and is "doing great," CNN reports. "I had my surgery on Monday and by Friday I was already at a big environmental event with my friend and fellow fitness crusader Jane Fonda," he said.
The 76-year-old was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, a congenital heart defect, USA Today reports. He has had heart surgery three times to replace valves, most recently in 2020. On his podcast, Schwarzenegger said doctors told him it was time to get a pacemaker because scar tissue from surgery had made his heartbeat irregular. Schwarzenegger, who thanked staff at the Cleveland Clinic, joked that his medical team wanted "many more seasons" of Fubar, his Netflix series.
Schwarzenegger said sharing details of his condition "goes against so much of my upbringing in Austria, where nobody ever talked about medical issues. Everything related to healthcare was kept to yourself." But, he said, it felt right to talk about it because "going against my secretive instinct and being transparent helps people." He added: "I know a lot of you are probably dealing with your own health challenges, and I want you to know you aren't alone. And if you're putting something off out of fear, I hope I inspire you to listen to your doctors and take care of yourself." (More Arnold Schwarzenegger stories.)
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