Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has vowed he’s “done” with opening new businesses, after facing a number of setbacks with his pub and health in recent months
Jeremy Clarkson has declared he’s finished with launching new businesses following a series of “total disasters” with his pub and recent health issues.
The ex-Top Gear presenter, 65, ventured into the hospitality industry by opening The Farmer’s Dog pub in August last year, building on the success of his Diddly Squat farm shop.
Despite reportedly investing £1,000,000 in the project, Clarkson has been candid about the difficulties in turning a profit.
As costs mounted before Christmas, Clarkson confessed to experiencing a “total disaster” and harboured concerns over recouping his investment, amidst criticism for the steep prices at his establishment.
In his column for The Times, he detailed the operational woes, including theft of glasses, the necessity to employ “a whole team of chemically trained hazmat engineers” following an incident in the toilets, and poor turkey sales, with only five sold out of 40 ordered, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Compounding the challenges of managing both the farm and the pub, the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host faced a grave health scare that landed him in hospital, narrowly escaping death.
He underwent an operation after discovering one artery was completely blocked and another nearly so, having woken up one morning feeling “clammy”, with chest tightness and strange sensations in his arm.
Clarkson has now firmly stated that he is not planning any further business endeavours.
In a candid interview with The Times, Jeremy Clarkson has declared: “I’m done with business now. I am not starting another business as long as I live.
“I don’t understand it and am not motivated by money. I just want a good craic.”
The forthright comments follow his recent health scare where he had a stent inserted to keep an artery open, narrowly avoiding a full heart bypass.
Clarkson disclosed that the “sudden deterioration” in his health nearly cost him his life, stating he was “days from death”.
Post-health scare, Clarkson has been forced to make “horrific” lifestyle adjustments, lamenting that he’s “not allowed to have fun anymore”, which includes taking up exercise, reducing alcohol consumption, and altering his diet.
This health setback comes amidst Clarkson’s frank admissions about the financial challenges of running his pub, detailing the stress it has caused him.
He previously shared with The Times his frustration with the hospitality industry: “It’s galling to see how much effort is required to make so little money on the farm.
“It’s worse at the pub. The customers are coming. There’s no problem there. But turning their visits into a profit is nigh-on impossible.”
