Arnold Schwarzenegger wants you to know he will return after having a pacemaker fitted.
The 76-year-old Hollywood action hero shared the first photo after disclosing earlier this week that he had a pacemaker fitted last Monday after previously having three open heart surgeries.
During the podcast, the former bodybuilder joked he has a ‘machine part’ like his Terminator character, and confirmed he will be taking a break from his workouts.
On Thursday night, he shared a picture of himself with his shirt open and proved he is still in good spirits as he sported a ‘Danger: High Voltage’ dynamite ticker on his chest.
In a lighthearted post, Arnie thanked his fans for their support, and addresses concerns about the future of his Netflix series FUBAR.
He wrote: ‘Thank you! I’ve gotten so many kind messages from all over the world, but a lot of people have asked if my pacemaker will cause any problems with FUBAR Season 2.
‘Absolutely not. I will be ready to film in April, and you can only see it if you’re really looking for it.’
Earlier this week, he admitted he was going against ‘so much’ of what he was taught growing up by talking about his health.
Appearing on the latest episode of his Arnold’s Pump Club podcast, which was released on Monday, he said: ‘Last Monday, I had surgery to become a little bit more of a machine: I got a pacemaker.
‘I have to tell you, just saying this to all of you goes against so much of my upbringing in Austria, where nobody — ever — talked about medical issues. Everything related to healthcare was kept to yourself.
‘But I’ve gotten so many messages and emails from people who were born with a bicuspid aortic valve, like me, telling me that talking about my valve replacement surgeries has given them courage and hope to deal with their own.
‘So, since I know that going against my secretive instinct and being transparent helps people, what choice do I have?’
Arnie also let his fans know he’s ‘doing great’, and just days later he was ‘already at a big environmental event’ with Jane Fonda.
He added: ‘By the way, when we talk about exercise being the only magic pill to slow down aging, look at Jane. She’s ten years older than me, turning 87 this year! Nobody would ever have thought I started the week with a surgery.’
He thanked everyone at the Cleveland Clinic for making his experience ‘as painless as possible’, and explained that ‘some scar tissue’ from a previous operation meant his heartbeat was now irregular.
Back in 1997, he underwent elective heart surgery to replace a defective, congenital aortic heart valve, and nine years later he had emergency surgery to put a new pulmonary valve in, before having his aortic valve was changed in 2020.
He stated: ‘It had been similar for a few years, so I kept in contact with my medical team and went in person at least once a year for a complete check-up and to check on my heart's condition.
‘That’s the way it is with a genetic heart problem. But I won’t be heard grumbling.’
