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.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Kate Nash said elsewhere, not written here
I had heart surgery when I was 17. The other time was when I fell off my piano. My head was an inch away from a metal step.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 25 May 2019 source ↗

Others on this question

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When I was about two, I accidentally knocked a boiled kettle on myself. I am scarred, in many ways, from that.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 31 January 2026 source ↗
Louis Theroux British and American journalist and author
I don’t think I’ve ever been close to death but I am a nervous flyer, especially during turbulence, so there have been many times where I’ve felt that I was.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 November 2018 source ↗
Terry O'Neill British photographer
I was invited to Sharon Tate’s house the night she was murdered. I declined the invite due to jetlag.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 January 2017 source ↗

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