Arnold Schwarzenegger Provides Update On His Condition Following Second Heart Surgery

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator: Dark Fate
(Image credit: (Paramount))

Between his Terminator role and Conan the Barbarian, Arnold Schwarzenegger has played some of the most invincible roles in cinematic history. But the famous 73-year-old bodybuilder and action hero is still human and has been dealing with heart complications for the past few years.

Back in 2018, Arnold Schwarzenegger had open heart surgery just ahead of his return to play T-800 for Terminator: Dark Fate. The actor has now shared with fans that he recently went under the knife to have an aortic valve replaced in Cleveland, Ohio. Check out his update:

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A procedure like this is undoubtedly a serious one, especially since the actor had a new pulmonary valve replaced prior. But thankfully, it’s all smiles and good news from Arnold Schwarzenegger about his recent surgery. As he detailed on Twitter, he’s feeling “fantastic” since his time at Cleveland Clinic and is already enjoying walking around the city.

The aortic valve helps blood flow out of the heart through the rest of the body. A faulty one can lead to aortic stenosis, a disease that prevents the valve from opening fully and reduces the correct blood flow to one’s heart into the rest of your body. Arnold Schwarzenegger was actually born with aortic stenosis, leading him to replace his pulmonary valve back in 1997 before the 2018 replacement.

Earlier this year, Schwarzenegger was candid about his emergency open heart surgery during an inspiring graduation speech that aired on Snapchat in lieu of many graduating students being without a physical ceremony. At first, the surgery was supposed to be non-invasive but, once the actor woke up, he learned the doctors had to open him up last minute in order to save his life.

With his determination, he was able to recover from the procedure in time for his summer shooting schedule for Dark Fate. With the Total Recall star already doing great after his recent heart complication, is he perhaps ready to get started on another project?

He's currently expected to reprise his role as Julius Benedict with Danny DeVito and Eddie Murphy in Triplets one of these days as well as star in a “global spy adventure” TV show. And hopefully, he’ll get involved in the Conan the Barbarian Netflix show that's currently in the works.

The actor recently became a first-time grandfather to his daughter Katherine and Chris Pratt, who welcomed their daughter, Lyla, in August. Throughout this year, Arnold has been outspoken about the dangers of COVID-19 and the importance of social distancing, especially since the virus affects high-risk individuals such as himself. The actor donated $1 million to COVID-19 relief and has been selling clever merchandise such as masks to benefit COVID-19 relief organizations.

It’s great to see him up and at ‘em after a successful surgery. As the iconic catchphrase goes, he’ll be back!

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.