Bob Mortimer has disclosed his ‘terrible’ apprehension that he may never run again following the ‘worst health year’ of his life.

The comedian, who grapples with rheumatoid arthritis, received information from doctors indicating a 20% loss of muscle function.

Bob shared that his health experienced a swift decline after contracting shingles, a painful condition caused by the same virus responsible for chickenpox.

He told his friend Paul Whitehouse on his show Gone Fishing, which aired on Friday: ‘It’s been a very, very, very unhealthy year for me Paul with my shingles.

‘It was the worst health year of my life to be honest and you know what, it was worse than my heart period.

Bob underwent triple heart bypass surgery in 2015 when his heart was stopped for 32 minutes after discovering that 95 percent of his arteries were blocked.