Patti Newton has shared the first photo of her husband Bert Newton since his emergency operation at the weekend. News broke on Monday morning that Newton had his leg amputated after contracting an infection in his toe.
According to entertainment reporter Peter Ford, who broke the news live on 94.5FM radio on Monday, Bert, 82, had been suffering from an infected toe for four months before the emergency operation.
Patti has now updated fans on Bert’s recovery and shared a photo of the television icon recovering in hospital. In the pic, Bert, who’s dressed in a hospital gown, can be seen lying in bed, as he holds onto his nine-month-old grandson Alby. Bert appears to be in good spirits considering the fact he went through a life-changing procedure just days ago.
“Thank you everyone for your prayers and beautiful words,” Patti captioned the post, before joking, “Think Alby has stolen Bert’s hair price!!”
Fans of Bert’s were quick to comment on the sweet pic and wish him a speedy recovery, with one writing, “And still with a smile. Sending much love to beautiful Bert”. Another added, “Two gorgeous cheeky faces! Best wishes Bert, hope you feel better soon”.
The update comes just a few days after Patti opened up about Bert’s condition, saying she’s “never seen anybody in more pain”. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Monday, Patti said Bert made a choice to live when deciding to go ahead with the amputation, adding he has a “long journey” ahead of him but “he is strong”.
“I came in on Saturday at 6.30am and I saw him before he was operated on,” she revealed. “I just felt he could not go through pain like he was going through for much longer.”
Patti said that while this amputation is not a nice thing to have happen, “it’s not a death sentence”, adding that she’s sure Bert will get back into the swing of things in no time. “Because he has so much to live for, he will do his utmost to make this work,” she said. “Where there’s a will, there is a way and that is him. He is strong.”
Patti is herself recovering from a broken ankle, and Bert will no doubt have to make some small adjustments to their two-story Melbourne townhouse.
Bert has been in and out of hospital the past few months. A month before Christmas, Patti uploaded a pic of the entertainer lying in a hospital bed. At the time, she reassured fans that he was “all good”.
Back in 2017, the TV personality was rushed to hospital after getting pneumonia. “Pneumonia is not a very nice thing,” Bert said at the time, explaining it was the third time he’d had it. The renowned former host of Good Morning Australia also underwent major heart surgery in 2012.