Rosie O'Donnell on Heart Attack: "I Almost Died"

By:OK! Staff

Oct. 5 2012, Published 2:07 p.m. ET

In a new interview, for the very first time, Rosie O'Donnell revealed it wasn't hard losing weight. The heart attack she suffered in August as a huge wake-up call.

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The comedian said she immediately tossed junk food from her kitchen and started eating healthy. In fact, she's already lost 12 pounds!

"For the first time, it wasn't hard for me. It took a heart attack for me to learn to take care of myself." Not only was the heart attack a close call, it was entirely too close.

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Rosie explained, "I started crying. I almost died — and that's not an over-exaggeration. That's a fact." She recalled feeling aches in her arms, and her chest started hurting, too.

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Her son pointed out she looked "very white." She went to a doctor and immediately got a stent to restore flood flow. Now Rosie proclaims she's been given a second chance: "I'm getting an extra lap now. Make it worth something, kid."