HEALTH'I Was Scared': Star Jones Says She Faced 'Mortality' During Life-Saving Open-Heart Surgery
Star Jones had open-heart surgery in 2010.
May 9 2025, Published 3:13 p.m. ET
Star Jones, 63, recently opened up about how terrified she was when doctors told her she’d have to undergo open-heart surgery.
Despite her attempts to take back control of her health and wellness, the Jones & Jury star was diagnosed with heart disease in 2010 when she was “severely overweight.”
In a new interview, Jones explained what she endured during that time, saying, “Anybody that says getting a diagnosis of heart disease doesn't frighten them is not telling the truth. I was scared.”
Star Jones Spent 22 Minutes With Her Heart 'Disconnected' on the Operating Table
The TV personality spent 22 minutes with her heart 'disconnected' from her body.
“The doctor said, ‘We have to crack your chest, and we will disconnect your heart, and you’ll be on the heart and lung machine,’” she recalled to the news outlet. “So it made me face my mortality.”
Though she noted the 2010 surgery “saved my life,” Jones was especially concerned when her heart was “disconnected for 22 minutes” on the operating table.
The Divorce Court personality battled with her heavy weight for many years but said she left the hospital as a “heart-healthy person” who wasn’t going to take her health for granted anymore.
Star Jones thinks many women are 'living in a bubble' about their health.
Fortunately, her healing process didn’t take long, as the star noted she spent only a couple of weeks in shock after her surgery.
“Once I kind of took my head out of the sand, after two weeks of eyes-wide-open scared, I became Star Jones again,” she explained. “And I’m a voracious reader. I wanted to know everything about heart disease, and I discovered that I had been living in a bubble, which I think a lot of women are.”
Before she underwent open-heart surgery, Jones said she had altered her eating and fitness routines. Thinking she was on the right path, Jones didn’t suspect she would ever need such a serious procedure.
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'Weird Symptoms' Led Star Jones to Heart Disease Diagnosis
The 'Divorce Court' star said she knew her health was poor when she started to feel 'weird symptoms.'
“I changed my eating habits, I started to exercise regularly, and my body changed and my mindset changed. So I was feeling really great,” she said.
However, Jones began to feel “weird symptoms,” including “intense” heart palpitations and dizziness, which led to her official diagnosis.
After more than two decades of living a healthier lifestyle, the TV personality now advocates for women as a national volunteer for the American Heart Association. She told the news outlet that she wondered why women are comfortable discussing mammograms and b----- exams but aren’t versed on looking for or knowing the symptoms of heart disease.
Stra Jones Advocates for Heart Disease Awareness in Women
Star Jones actively advocates for women's health and heart disease.
With Mother’s Day approaching, Jones partnered with Medtronic for their “Letter to My Mother” campaign to encourage women to talk with their mothers about the risks of heart disease.
“You can have these conversations with your family so that you can be well armed. I always say being well armed is [being] ready for battle, and we’re battling heart disease as a nation,” Jones said about the initiative.
“I’m leading this ‘Letter to My Mother’ campaign to really start the conversation with other women — the conversations that I wish I had earlier on and the conversations that, quite frankly, have saved my life,” she concluded.
