James Hewitt is reportedly "fighting for his life" after suffering a heart attack and stroke.

The 59-year-old former lover of Diana, Princess of Wales is said to be receiving treatment in intensive care following an emergency operation relating to a previous illness, according to the Sunday Mirror.

Hewitt was believed to have been at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, before being transferred to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

It's claimed that the former lieutenant and officer in the Household Cavalry suffered a cardiac arrest before a medical procedure, and had been "fighting for his life".

But his family are now optimistic he will make a full recovery, with a relative telling the Sunday Mirror: "It was pretty serious but hopefully we're all OK now. He is recovering and has been moved to Exeter."

Meanwhile, his agent Teresa Quinlan has said she was unaware of any pre-existing illness, and been unable to get hold of Hewitt since the news broke.

"I can't confirm anything," she told The Telegraph. "The last time I had communication with him was by text message two weeks ago and at that point he said he was not feeling well and was in bed with a bug.

"I've tried to get hold of him a couple of times over the last couple of weeks and I haven't been able to and the first I heard of this was when a newspaper contacted me yesterday. His mobile phone has been off and I've tried him a couple of times.

"I am quite concerned about him because, as I say, the last time I was in contact with him he was just in bed with a bug. I am just hoping that he makes contact with me when he puts his phone back on."

Princess Diana and Hewitt had an affair for five years in the 80s while Diana was still married to Prince Charles. She angered Buckingham Palace by making the admission on Panorama in 1995, and Hewitt has continued to deny rumours he is Prince Harry's biological father.

Speaking on Australian TV back in March about whether he was Harry's father, he replied: "No I'm not. It's worse for him, probably, poor chap."

From: Harper's BAZAAR UK
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Naomi Gordon

Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.