Home and Away star Ray Meagher opens up about his emergency heart surgery

Stone the flamin' crows!

Home and Away fans all know and love the no-nonsense character Alf Stewart, who's played by the legendary Ray Meagher.

But the 75-year-old actor recently stunned viewers with the revelation he was rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery.

Meagher was discovered to have three serious blockages in his arteries - including one that was 100 per cent blocked - and underwent a triple bypass, just 24 hours after a routine health check revealed he was at risk.

Speaking to Sunrise, Meagher - who has been a staple of the long-running Australian soap since the show began back in 1988 - recalled being told that he'd need to undergo emergency surgery.

"I had the angiogram and they said 'there's a lump of concrete in there, a stent's not gonna move that, so get comfortable - you're going to be in overnight' and they got the chainsaw out they next day".

Six weeks on, the Logie-winning actor has just announced he has made a full recovery and has recently returned to work at 'Summer Bay.'

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He said while he considers himself young and fit, his experience just goes to show "you don't know what's going on inside."

"I'm just glad to be on the planet," he continued.

He also said he feels like he's been given a "second chance" at life and the scare has inspired him to ensure others take care of their heart health.

"If I hadn't gone and had that angiogram, I would have been driving with my wife to Queensland and could have killed us both and some other poor innocent fella on the road."

"Regular visits to your GP are a good start. Diet and exercise are pretty handy. It's really important to get checked, even if you've got just the slightest symptoms."

We're glad to see you're back to full health, Ray!