Stephen Colbert has revealed that he lost 14lbs after he was rushed to hospital with a burst appendix.
The 59-year-oldat the end of November over his condition, and only returned to our screens on Monday.
In his first episode back, , explaining that his wife, Evie, was behind his decision to go in for treatment.
‘The last time I was doing The Late Show, almost three weeks ago, I had to get emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix,’ he began his monologue. ‘We’d had a great show the night before with David Letterman. We’d had a wonderful time with Dave, what a joy to have him here. I was feeling high.
‘But then I got home, and I was not feeling great. I didn’t know what was going on, I thought I might have caught something from Dave’s beard. I woke up the next morning just in abdominal agony.
‘I figured the pain would go away, it would pass. So, I decided to do the show that night. “How bad could it be?” Turns out: extremely bad.’
Ever the professional, Stephen managed to get through two shows – including an interview with an interview with Bradley Cooper – despite being in ‘off the charts’ pain, before things took a very sharp turn.
He initially wanted to go home and rest, but Evie suggested that his driver take him straight in for treatment when he became more ill.
Upon his arrival at the hospital, the presenter was told that his appendix had burst.
‘They said when they opened it up, it was like they shot John Wick 5 down there,’ he continued, comparing his insides to a paella. ‘I don’t want to get into too much detail here, but basically, they go in there with a power washer and a shop vac…
‘They yanked it out and I’ve been home recovering ever since.’
Stephen took a moment to thank those who had treated him, as well as the fans who shared their support, and his TV crew for going ‘beyond the call of duty’.
‘I want to thank Evie and the kids, who have been amazing during my recovery, they filled the hole where my appendix used to be with love,’ he added.
‘And you might be surprised that I’d like to thank my appendix. Because you giving me blood poisoning helped me lose 14lbs.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, you heard it here first: Appendicitis is the new Ozempic.’
A burst – or ruptured – appendix can spread infection through the abdomen, which can be life-threatening in some cases.
The Mayo clinic states that the condition requires immediate surgery to remove the appendix and clean the abdominal cavity.
The recovery time is usually up to six weeks.
Last week, Stephen confirmed he would be taking more time off in a bid to concentrate on his health, with fans urging him to rest up as much as possible.
‘I’m listening to my doctors and continuing to rest and heal,’ he posted on Instagram and Threads at the time.
‘Thank you for all your well wishes and I’ll see you soon. – Stephen.’
