How close have you come to death?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A recurring Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.

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Recorded Marcus Mumford said elsewhere, not written here
Rolling a quad bike.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 21 February 2026 source ↗

Others on this question

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Shakin' Stevens Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter
I had a cardiac arrest in 2010. I also had a close call in the early days in Cardiff when I was in a band called the Denims. We were in a van driving along a narrow mountain road. Somebody wanted to go to the toilet, so we stopped, and afterwards the driver took a wrong turn and we went careering down the mountain. Everyone was screaming, it was like a nightmare. At the bottom was the railway line, but the van stopped just in time. We were very lucky.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 18 February 2023 source ↗

Jonnie Peacock British athlete
When I was five and the doctors walked in and said to my mum: “I am not sure if you will be taking him home.”

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 27 January 2018 source ↗

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