BREAKING: Entertainment legend Bert Newton has his leg amputated in a ‘life or death decision’ after being told he’d otherwise have just months to live
Australian television legend Bert Newton has reportedly had his leg amputated after his toe became infected before Christmas.
The 82-year-old, who has battled ill health for years, was told the surgery was a ‘life or death decision’, entertainment reported Peter Ford claimed on The Morning Rush with Sean and Kate on Monday.
Mr Ford, who has been in contact with the Newton family, said the infection kept getting worse and spreading, leaving doctors no choice but to amputate.
Amputation: Australian television legend Bert Newton has had his leg amputated after his toe became infected before Christmas. Pictured in hospital in November
Doctors reportedly told Bert last week that amputating the leg would save his life, but keeping the leg would mean he’d have ‘months to live’.
He agreed to the surgery on Saturday, Mr Ford claimed.
Mr Ford explained: ‘[The infection] got worse… he was seeing doctors and specialists and they couldn’t seem to get it right, it kept on spreading.’
‘Basically he was told last week, you have a couple of months to live, or if you have your leg amputated, you’ll probably have a few years. So, he agreed to have the leg amputated on Saturday.’
Health struggles: The 82-year-old, who has battled ill health for years, was told the surgery was a ‘life or death decision’, entertainment reported Peter Ford claimed on The Morning Rush with Sean and Kate on Monday. Pictured here with his wife, Patti Newton
Mr Ford said Bert and his wife of 47 years, Patti Newton, are preparing for a major adjustment once he gets home from hospital.
‘It’s a big decision for anyone to make [to amputate], but it’s also a practical thing, because they live in a two-storey place with the bedrooms and the bathrooms upstairs, so they’re now having to convert the house downstairs because Patti doesn’t want him to go into a nursing home,’ he said.
However, the Newtons are said to be staying positive and don’t want the public to think of Bert’s amputation as a ‘sad’ story.
Mr Ford said: ‘They [the Newton family] 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.”‘
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Newtons for comment.
Visit: Patti, who recently broke her ankle, had been pictured visiting her husband in hospital in Melbourne on April 28, accompanied by her daughter, Lauren
While Bert’s health has been a concern for more than 10 years now, the exact nature of his latest problem wasn’t made public until today.
Patti, 76, who recently broke her ankle, had been pictured visiting her husband in hospital in Melbourne on April 28, accompanied by her daughter, Lauren.
More to come.