Graham Norton says being stabbed and left for dead in 1989 gave him ‘real perspective’

Presenter says he lost over half his blood in near-fatal attack

Graham Norton has said his view on life was completely changed after being stabbed and left for dead in 1989.

Norton recently recalled being mugged while he was studying drama in west London in the Eighties, revealing: “I lost a bit over half my blood – it was touch and go.”

The TV presenter went into more detail in a new interview with The Observer.

“It gave me real perspective on life and what mattered,” Norton said, adding: “I went back to drama school and people were slamming doors because of the roles they got and I was like: ‘Uh, I nearly died. I’m just really happy to be alive’,” he continued.

Norton – who appears as a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK – said that if he ever worries about something, he thinks about the near-fatal incident, which puts things into perspective.

He discussed knife crime with The Mirror last month, stating that economics are more of a factor in its prevalence than anything else.

“It’s modern in that people have knives, but I’m not sure it’s a modern problem,” he said.

“Young people are incredibly cruel to each other. Bullying has always been incredibly vicious. When you’re young, you don’t understand what others are going through; you’re so busy looking after yourself.”

He continued, “It’s more about economics than modern society. It’s about people with nothing. And if you’ve nothing to lose, that’s a really scary place to be.”