Aussie screen legend reveals close call with death

Cameron Daddo has been entertaining Australian audiences on stage, screen and across airwaves for more than four decades.

But a random surf trip earlier this year almost saw it all come crashing down, with the 60-year-old coming dangerously close to death.

Daddo, who like David Campbell, DJs on Smooth FM, bumped into the Today Extra host in the carpark the other day and "dropped a bomb" on DC when he told him what happened.

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"Long story short, I surfed in dirty water and I got a gut ache, so I went to my GP and he ordered a CT scan," Daddo said.

"The results came back and confirmed I had a parasite."

But the parasite wasn't the only thing specialists found inside Daddo, with another startling discovery made on his scans.

"It turned out to be three aneurysms in my iliac artery, in my belly, running down my femoral arteries," he said.

Daddo required 10 stents to correct the problem and he thanked his lucky stars that parasite caused a gut ache - otherwise he may have remained completely asymptomatic.

"I had no issues, I could have been just that older dude who keeps himself fit, then suddenly falls down - so I was very, very fortunate," he said.

"The important thing is now I realise just how important it is to get checked, especially when you get to a certain age."

Hear Daddo's full chat with Today Extra in the video above