MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

'I'm not in the place I'm meant to be': Frail 'Crocodile Dundee' star Paul Hogan, 83, longs to go HOME

The Golden Globe winner admitted that being healthy for such a long time was a blessing and that he constantly 'maintained' his fitness up until 79

Paul Hogan, the star of 'Crocodile Dundee', has opened out about his crippling health issues and expressed his desire to spend his remaining years in Australia. The 83-year-old actor and comedian sat down for an interview with Tracy Grimshaw, who is hosting Nine's flagship show 'A Current Affair' after 17 years.

Hogan, who resides in Los Angeles, California, with his 24-year-old son Chance, claimed that he is too frail to open jars, has "zero body fat," and recently underwent pacemaker surgery. He told Grimshaw, "[I've] been better. I had a problem on the aorta in the kidney and the treatment fixed it, but it shrunk me."

READ MORE

Is Justin Bieber OK? Singer 'never left' wife Hailey's side when she was hospitalized

'Boardwalk Empire' star Michael Pitt seen strapped to stretcher after throwing objects at people

Retroperitoneal fibrosis is the illness Hogan is alluding to; it is a benign tumor that has looped around the abdominal aorta and put pressure on his kidney. He continued in his interview, "Quite a few of my friends on diets hate me for it because I try and eat everything fatty and lardy you can think of. Everything they're not allowed to have. I can't put on an ounce." He needed to restore his energy after the health crisis significantly altered his physique because corticosteroids were given to decrease the growth. Hogan claimed that the steroid therapy was more detrimental than the illness. Crocodile Dundee star revealed, "They shrink your muscles and [they're] supposed to make you fat, but I got thinner and thinner and thinner. I'm now in the business of trying to put a bit of fat on… because you feel the cold too much when you've got no body fat." Hogan is currently wearing a pacemaker and is "being held together by string." The Golden Globe winner admitted that being healthy for such a long time was a blessing and that he constantly "maintained" his fitness up until the age of 79. He said, "I was still fit. I'd still take out most 40 year olds. And then I turned 80 and it's lovely that saying that "turning 80 is not for sissies" because things start to fall apart," cited by Daily Mail.

Hogan claims he can't leave his son Chance in California alone even though he is yearning to get back to Australia since his health is failing. He shares Chance with his 'Crocodile Dundee' co-star, Linda Kozlowski, his ex-wife. He continued, "I'm not in the place I'm meant to be, but I'm not allowed to complain about anything. I've had such a gifted life. I've had so many wonderful things happen to me without deserving them so I shouldn't complain but, yeah, ideally I'd rather be back in Sydney because I miss the rest of my family there."

Meanwhile, as the news about frail Hogan surfaced, fans on social media sends well wishes for the star. One user tweeted, "I've never watched #acurrentaffair but I saw that Paul Hogan was on and I reckon he is one of the loveliest interviewees ive ever had the fortune to watch. I wish him happiness and I hope he returns home soon to Sydney." Another user wrote, "Come home! You need your network of family and friends too!!" Another said, "@tracygrimshaw
What a great interview with #PaulHogan. Admire he is putting his son first and staying in the US when he clearly wants to come home. #ACA won't be the same without you @tracygrimshaw."