Derryn Hinch, 81, Shares Heartbreaking Health Update and Life Expectancy

Derryn Hinch has opened up about the frightening collapse in his health, revealing he has endured several painful falls in the past year after being forced to use a walker.

The veteran broadcaster, 81, looked downcast and frail on A Current Affair on Monday night as he discussed his ongoing age-related health issues.

Hinch admitted his strength has deteriorated so dramatically that even leaning on his walker, affectionately nicknamed Johnny, hasn’t prevented repeated tumbles.

‘I’ve had 30 falls in the last year. And they just happen, even when I’m holding onto Johnny. I sometimes just hit the floor,’ Hinch told the program.

His most recent fall, which left him stranded overnight until help finally arrived, resulted in a three-week stay in hospital. 

The ordeal, he said, has left his body struggling to recover.

Derryn Hinch (pictured) has opened up about the frightening collapse in his health, revealing he has endured several painful falls in the past year after being forced to use a walker 

‘I didn’t know I’d broken two ribs. But the thing was, I was just lying there. I couldn’t move my legs, couldn’t use my arms, couldn’t crawl to my bedroom to get a blanket. I felt totally stranded,’ he said. 

Despite the grim reality of his condition, Hinch managed a flash of his trademark dark humour. 

Gesturing toward a chair on his balcony, he quipped: ‘This is a great place to cark it. I mean, sitting in that chair, staring at the clouds. Good night nurse. Goodbye, world!’

The former senator has been dealing with several health issues for years. 

An earlier fall left him with an infected leg that ballooned dramatically, while a Christmas mishap last year gave him two black eyes and forced him to rely on his walker ever since.

On top of the injuries, he has battled a litany of serious medical crises: facial melanoma requiring multiple rounds of radiation, a life-threatening blood infection, an electric shock procedure last December to correct an irregular heartbeat.

‘It was just stupid. I drank far too much,’ he previously told Channel Ten, admitting his advanced cirrhosis diagnosis was the result of years of heavy drinking.’

‘People criticised me because I still had my occasional glass of white wine with ice in it or frozen grapes.’

The veteran broadcaster, 81, looked downcast and frail on A Current Affair on Monday night as he discussed his ongoing age-related health issues

Hinch admitted his strength has deteriorated so dramatically that even leaning on his walker hasn’t prevented repeated tumbles, which have landed him in the hospital

‘I thought if I have five more years to live I want to live them well and enjoy my life.’

Even as his health falters, Hinch insists he remains grateful for the extraordinary life he has lived.

‘I’ve had such an incredible life… I hold a seat in history, it’s pretty good… If I last another month or ten years, that’s all good by me.’

However, Hinch remains optimistic about the future and, health permitting, he insists there’s still more to come.

Last month, it was reported that he was back in hospital after a series of health setbacks in recent months. 

The veteran broadcaster was treated for an infection following a fall, according to his official Facebook page. 

A post made by Hinch’s assistant showed the star tucked in his hospital bed, looking frail. 

Hinch has survived a near-fatal liver transplant, a facial melanoma, a blood infection and a cardiac arrhythmia in recent years.