Jeremy Clarkson has revealed the unlikely snack helping with his weight loss after quitting Ozempic.

The Clarkson’s Farm star, who is “determined not to die” after undergoing major heart surgery last year, stating that he is “determined not to die”, has opened about his lifestyle changes as he attempts to slim down.

Clarkson said he used Ozempic, the drug that was licenced to treat diabetes but has been co-opted by people as a quick fix for weight loss.

However, Ozempic didn’t work for Clarkson, who wrote in his Sunday Times column that he actually ended up half a stone heavier after using it.

“My body lost the ability to deal with gluttony but once the initial enthusiasm had worn off, my mind still wanted to breakfast on Cadbury Fruit & Nut,” he said.

“This meant I was sick a lot. And after I had vomited, I figured I was empty and could have another bottle and maybe another bar of chocolate too.”

Instead, Clarkson turned to a food item that he “discovered” that has helped him get trimmer: snail caviar.

He wrote: “It is… actually unborn snails. But weirdly it does taste and feel like the real deal. So you can pop a teaspoon of that onto half a Ritz cracker and you have yourself the 21st century’s answer to a medieval banquet.”

Snail caviar is the fresh or processed eggs of land snails, and is luxury gourmet speciality produced in Austria, Czechia, France and Poland.

Clarkson previously revealed that he had been encouraged to make positive lifestyle changes by a desire to be around for his grandchildren. The presenter has two grandchildren via his eldest daughter Emily, the most recent of whom was born shortly before Christmas.

Discussing his grandchildren, he wrote: “I have decided that it is so wonderful that I want it to go on for as long as is humanly possible.

“Which means I must do everything in my power to not die.”

Clarkson stated that he had attempted to live a more active lifestyle in the past, with limited success.

“Michelangelo’s David burns more calories than I do when I’m out and about, so I continued to get fatter and more out of breath, and when you want to see your grandchildren grow up, that’s not good enough,” he wrote.

In the aftermath of the heart surgery, however, Clarkson has taken up Pilates.

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“What we’ve learnt so far is that my pelvis is so cockeyed I look like a broken shotgun, my legs are very ‘heavy’ and that my fat can be made to hurt,” he continued.

The former Top Gear presenter claimed that he had, until now, “relied on luck to keep me alive”.

“But I’m in sniper’s alley right now and I have to work at dodging the bullets,” he added.

The usage of ozempic as a weight loss drug has been decried by eating disorder experts, with Fiona Yassin, eating disorder specialist and clinical director of The Wave Clinic, telling The Independent: “It is very important to understand that Ozempic is not licensed for weight loss in the UK for individuals without diabetes.

“By using these medications to change how we feel about ourselves, we’re mimicking the behaviour seen in substance use disorders, where substances are used to manage internal discomfort. It’s alarming, and the potential medical consequences are enormous.”

Meanwhile, several obesity experts told The Associated Press that perhaps 20 per cent of patients – as many as 1 in 5 – may not respond well to the medications. Side effects can include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

“It’s all about explaining that different people have different responses,” said Dr Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital.