Star Jones Recalls Her Heart Being ‘Disconnected for 22 Minutes' During Surgery 14 Years Ago: ‘That Is No Joke'

Star Jones is reflecting on having open-heart surgery 14 years ago, and how that fueled her public advocacy to encourage others to prioritize their health.
During an appearance on the Wednesday, Feb. 18 episode of the Tamron Hall Show, the journalist and TV personality, 62, opened up about her experience, recalling the surgery "is no joke.'
'They opened up my chest, cracked it and disconnected my heart for 22 minutes," she said, before joking, "But like I say, they put it back in so don't trip."
'Heart disease is still the number one killer of women, still the number one killer of Americans, still the number one killer of African Americans,' she explained. 'And this is my mission in life. This is why I wake up in the morning: to say to women, take care of yourself. Put yourself on the front burner. It is important for you.'
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Related: Star Jones Opens Up About Weight Loss and Body Image: 'I Chose to Live and I Took Care of Myself' (Exclusive)
Jones admitted that in the past, she ignored her own body '100%,' which is why she missed the signs of her heart disease.
'I was morbidly obese and obese for the vast majority of my adult life. So when I was short of breath or my legs hurt or I would get dizzy, I attributed that to the weight," she told host Tamron Hall. "So then after having weight loss surgery, after having done therapy, after having changed my eating habits, started exercising, I should have felt better. But I didn't feel better."
The Jones & Jury star said that instead of dealing with it, she brushed it off as 'residual weight' until she was later diagnosed with heart disease. As a journalist, she said she felt a responsibility to raise awareness.
'If I'm the one who brings the news to people and I didn't know, this is my job to tell everybody else,' she told Hall, 54, on the show. 'Stop putting other people first when it comes to your health. That's my message.'
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Related: Heart Disease Survivor Star Jones Is 'Concerned' About Health Care Rights Under Trump
Last year, Jones opened up to PEOPLE about her mission to get others to take better care of their health.
"The most important thing is for men and women to take care of their health,' the actress said in June 2024. 'And I chose living over dying.'
'One of my very favorite lines is from Shawshank Redemption. 'You either choose to live or you choose to die,' ' she continued. 'I chose to live and I took care of myself, and literally 20 years later, I have taken care.'
Jones also noted that as a 'heart disease survivor' her experiences have fueled her to keep up her healthy habits.
"Because of those choices, I was able to walk out of that hospital a whole, healthy survivor and thriver,' she told PEOPLE. 'And I don't take anything away from my journey.'
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