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 Sara Cox said elsewhere, not written here
Modelling in South Korea, aged 19. After a party, I flopped into bed, lit a big candle and balanced it on top of a massive box of matches. I created my own firework display when the candle burnt down and set fire to it. It made the biggest noise ever which, luckily, woke me from my slightly boozy slumber.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 31 August 2019 source ↗

Others on this question

View all 209 →
When I had cancer. I was having a shave and thought: “Are you meant to have a big hard lump on one side of your neck?”
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 February 2025 source ↗
Brendan Gleeson Irish actor and director
Getting knocked down by a bus. The experience left me with the exhilaration of life enhanced.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 31 December 2016 source ↗
Gemma Whelan English actress
I was very ill with anorexia when I was a teenager. I went into hospital voluntarily, otherwise they were going to section me.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 25 January 2020 source ↗

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