How close have you come to death?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A recurring Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.

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Recorded Nuala McGovern said elsewhere, not written here
I lived in New York during 9/11 and worked a couple of blocks away from the twin towers. I was looking when the first tower exploded and then when the second plane flew in and, before we had to evacuate, I did see people jump to their death.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 8 November 2025 source ↗

Others on this question

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Gemma Whelan English actress
I was very ill with anorexia when I was a teenager. I went into hospital voluntarily, otherwise they were going to section me.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 25 January 2020 source ↗
Jake Shears Singer and songwriter; co-lead vocalist of Scissor Sisters
Five years ago, a concrete plug, a little bigger than a baseball, fell off a building on Hollywood Boulevard when I was riding in an open convertible. It shattered the windshield. It really shook me. I still have it on my mantel.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 17 July 2021 source ↗
Justin Hawkins
A flight from Paraguay to South Africa that went badly wrong. The plane nearly fell out of the sky and the oxygen masks dropped. People were screaming but the pilot saved the day, and then apparently never flew again.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 March 2025 source ↗

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