At only 8 years old, Philippe Katerine had to undergo very heavy surgery because of a heart problem that could have caused his death. Interviewed by Laurent Ruquier on the show We are not in bed in May 2016, the artist and performer of the title Love had spoken for the first time of this open-heart operation forever etched in his memory. “I had a huge hole in my heart. I had surgery when I was 8 years old. They put a pigskin to plug the hole because that’s what’s most compatible with the human heart.“, he confided adding that it was the reason why he loved animals so much.
A few years later in 2019, the 53-year-old actor, father of Edie (born in 1993 from a previous relationship), Alfred and Billy (born of his romance with actress Julie Depardieu), also revealed more details regarding his heart problem as he was interviewed by Mouloud Achour on the show Click. “It was a hole in the heart the size of a five-franc piece. And they stuffed it for me with a pigskin, which is the most compatible skin with the human body as we know.“, he had explained.
More surprisingly, Philippe Katerine had indicated that he had experienced this surgery as a real “resurrection“. In fact, he had explained that he had had an imminent death experience (EMI) at the time of the operation and had had the feeling of leaving his body and dying for a few moments. “It was great! You can’t imagine what it’s like to walk through a long tunnel and see the light! Of course, you can see it on the device… But there, it’s something extraordinary! Don’t you remember, Mouloud?“, he asked with a lot of humor to the host. Confused, Mouloud Achour then replied: “The pig, do not eat it, have an operation with it!“
As a reminder, Philippe Katerine unveils his works in the exhibition Mignonism at Bon Marché from February 26 to April 24, 2022.