Actor Richard Low reveals incurable colon condition behind recent six-day hospitalisation

Back in May, Mediacorp actor Richard Low, affectionately known to fans as Limpeh, gave many a scare when he revealed he had been hospitalised for six days after suddenly losing control of his bowel and bladder.

Now, two months on, 8days was relieved to see the 74-year-old back to his cheerful, high-spirited self at the press conference for Mediacorp's upcoming drama Old & Dangerous.

In the Channel 8 slice-of-life series, Low plays a retired Special Operations Force officer who shares a heartwarming friendship with four former unit mates, portrayed by Chen Shucheng, Zhu Houren, Wang Yuqing and Li Wen Hai.

The veteran actor even appeared in good spirits while chatting with reporters, casually taking his health supplements between interviews.

When asked about his condition, the actor told local news Zaobao that he is "temporarily okay".

He went on to reveal that his hospitalisation was caused by diverticular disease, a condition in which small pouch-like sacs develop in the wall of the large intestine. In his case, it resulted in intestinal bleeding.

"When I got up in the morning and went to the toilet, I saw blood in my stool. I immediately thought: 'This is bad,'" Low recalled.

"I had a bad feeling that the same thing that happened 20 years ago might be happening again."

As it turned out, his instincts were right.

Low shared that he had suffered from the same condition two decades earlier, so the familiar symptoms immediately raised alarm bells.

Surprisingly, despite the internal bleeding, he initially felt perfectly fine.

"At the time, I actually felt fine physically. I even went to film a video for The OG Gang (with Chen and Zhu). At around three or four pm, I asked my wife to accompany me to the hospital."

Doctors later found that diverticulitis had caused a perforation in his intestine, resulting in continuous bleeding.

The ordeal took a noticeable toll on the actor, who lost 5kg during his six-day stay in hospital.

"For the first three days, I had to undergo various tests, so I wasn't allowed to eat anything. I didn't have much of an appetite anyway," he recounted. "Over the next few days, I could only consume liquids."

While Low has thankfully recovered, he revealed that the condition cannot be fully cured.

Instead, the focus now is on managing it through lifestyle changes.

He shared that he has to be especially mindful of his diet and avoid fried food and alcohol to reduce the risk of another flare-up.

Old & Dangerous premieres on Jul 27, weekdays 9pm on Ch 8, and will be available on demand for free on mewatch.

Low also appears in We Are Number 1 on mewatch or in the video below:

This story was originally published in 8Days.

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