Alan Sugar has emergency heart surgery in US
The Apprentice host has operation to unblock artery while on holiday in Florida
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Lord Alan Sugar has had urgent heart surgery during a winter break in Florida after tests revealed that one of his arteries had narrowed.
The 69-year-old entrepreneur and host of The Apprentice is understood to have fully recovered following the procedure, which took place in December.
The billionaire was fitted with a stent, a permanent mesh tube designed to widen a narrowed artery. Blockages to arteries can lead to serious health problems and can even be fatal. The underlying condition is evidence of possible coronary heart disease.
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The procedure to place the stent is understood to have been completed under local anaesthetic. Sugar was discharged from hospital the day after the operation.
His spokesman Andrew Bloch told The Sun that Sugar was currently enjoying the rest of his holiday in Florida: "He was on the mend within a day and cleared to resume exercise after a week.
"He's in perfect medical health and plays tennis and rides his bike for 40 miles regularly."
Sugar has been pictured taking flying lessons since the procedure, though he is not legally allowed to pilot a plane for three months after the operation.
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On New Year's Day, he tweeted a photo of a huge English breakfast.
And on Sunday, he tweeted a photo of himself posing with eight-time Grand Slam winner Jimmy Connors, indicating that his fitness levels had not declined since the operation.
Ex-US presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton have also had stents fitted, along with Dollar singer David Van Day, says The Sun.