The Pianist writer endured a double blow in 2013 when he fell ill two weeks after his wife of 55 years, Natasha, passed away and he subsequently underwent a life-saving heart bypass operation.

Harwood, 80, has now revealed the scare prompted him to address his health and finally kick his longterm smoking habit.

He tells Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, "I had a terrible disaster in my life. My wife died and I had a heart attack. I still miss her terribly, every single day. You can't get over something like that, and why should you?... (Smoking) was a great love of mine, but I've kicked the habit because it was causing me terrible problems, so I thought it was time I dealt with that. My arteries were very clogged up."