For most people, an ordinary lunch would hardly be the kind of moment they would remember as a turning point in life. But for British stage actor Shiv Grewal, a February afternoon in 2013 became an experience that changed how he looked at both life and death.
Grewal, 60, suffered a cardiac arrest after having lunch with his wife Alison near their home in southeast London. His heart stopped for seven minutes before paramedics managed to revive him. What he says he experienced during that time has stayed with him ever since.
Speaking to PA Real Life, Grewal recalled being aware that something had happened to him even though he was no longer experiencing the world through his physical body. “I knew, somehow, that I was dead,” he said. “I felt things completely separate from my body. It was like I was in a void but could feel emotions and sensations.”
He described the sensation as being completely detached from his physical self. “I had no body as such. I suppose it was a bit like swimming through water, you feel weightless and disconnected from the physical world,” he said.
His account then took a more unusual turn. Grewal said he found himself surrounded by what appeared to be an expansive view of space. “At one point, I was traveling over the moon, and I could see meteorites and all of space,” he told PA Real Life.
Grewal also claimed that his experience involved being presented with different possibilities for what could come next, including reincarnations. “There was a whole set of possibilities, various lives and reincarnations that were being offered to me,” he recalled.
But Grewal said he had no interest in choosing another life. His focus, instead, was on returning to the life he already had. “I didn’t want them,” he said. “I made it very clear that I wanted to return to my body, to my time, to my wife and to go on living.”
Grewal’s cardiac arrest happened on February 9, 2013. His wife Alison immediately called an ambulance after his heart stopped, and paramedics eventually managed to restart it. He was then taken to hospital, where doctors discovered that his main artery was completely blocked. Grewal underwent surgery to have a stent inserted.
The medical emergency did not end there. Because he had suffered cerebral hypoxia, meaning his brain had been deprived of oxygen, doctors placed him in an induced coma for a month. The episode also left him with epilepsy.
Despite the seriousness of what happened, Grewal says he remembers the experience of the period when his heart had stopped and has since used art to process it.
His collection, titled “Reboot”, explores what he says he experienced during those seven minutes. The exhibition was being held at London’s Karma Sanctum Soho hotel and was scheduled to run until September 24.
Grewal, who describes himself as “scientifically minded” and a “natural cynic”, said the experience nevertheless changed his understanding of what might happen after death. “I remembered everything that happened when my heart stopped and have tried to translate it into art,” he said while discussing the exhibition.
The actor also admitted that his brush with death left him with complicated feelings about mortality. While the experience made him less frightened of dying, it also made him more conscious of how valuable his life is.
“I’m less fearful of death because of it, but at the same time, I’m also more fearful, because I’ve realized how precious everything I have in life is,” he told PA Real Life.
The actor you are referring to is Shiv Grewal, a UK-based stage and screen actor of Indian origin who has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
His story made headlines worldwide after he shared details of a profound Near-Death Experience (NDE) he underwent when he went into cardiac arrest at his home in Southeast London.
Key Details of His Near-Death Experience
The Incident: On February 9, 2013, Grewal suffered a sudden cardiac arrest shortly after dining with his wife, Alison. By the time emergency paramedics arrived, his heart had stopped beating. He was clinically dead for approximately seven minutes before paramedics successfully resuscitated him.
Journey Into Space: Grewal described feeling detached from his physical body as his brain was "crying out for help." He recounted entering an ethereal, weightless void—similar to swimming in space—where he could see meteorites, the Moon, and the vast expanse of the cosmos.
Offered Reincarnation Options: During this state, he claimed he was presented with multiple possibilities for reincarnation and alternative lives. However, he consciously rejected them, demanding to return to his current earthly life to reunite with his wife.
Medical Outcome & Recovery: Following his resuscitation, Grewal was put into a medically induced coma for over a month to support his recovery. Although the incident left him with cognitive and mobility challenges, he channeled his experience into abstract art, painting vibrant, cosmic art pieces depicting what he saw during those seven minutes.
Medical & Scientific Context
While Grewal attributes his experience to a glimpse of the afterlife, medical researchers—such as resuscitation experts studying NDEs—explain that when the heart stops, the brain experiences a surge of electrical activity and residual oxygen scanning. This lingering brain activity can trigger vivid hallucinations, out-of-body sensations, and altered perceptions of time and space.
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