Plunging yourself into cold water is an increasingly popular wellness activity believed to improve mental and physical health – but for Harry Enfield, it’s had an adverse effect.
The comedian, 65, has spent years taking daily swims in nippy temperatures, but doctors told him he’d developed health issues with his ears as a consequence.
Enfield was recently diagnosed with exostosis, which is more commonly known as “surfer’s ear”. The NHS lists the condition as “the abnormal growth of bone in the ear canal caused by repeated exposure to cold water and wind”, noting it can cause hearing loss and infections.
He learnt the news while getting fitted for hearing aids. The comedy star, best known for his creations such as Kevin the Teenager and Loadsamoney, told Off Menu podcast: “I’m partially deaf and, because I swim in Highgate Ponds, I’ve got stalactites in my ears.”
Enfield continued: “They’ve got tiny little hearing aids you can get now and apparently they’re very good. They cost a fortune, but they’re worth having. So I went to get them fitted.
“They said, ‘No, you’ve got big bones – stalactites – that have grown in your ears. Do you do a lot of fresh water swimming?’ I said, ‘Well, yeah.’ They said, ‘Ah, that’s what it is.’”
Enfield said that the stalactites can be “chopped off”, but suggested he’d “sooner not hear what you’re saying” to avoid the “painful” surgery.
Cold water swimming has risen in popularity in the last few years, with a study in 2024 estimating that around 1.2 million Brits had joined a local group specialising in the activity.
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Famous figures who have extolled the virtues of the trend include Harry Styles, Nick Cave and Kate Middleton,
According to Mark Harper, medical advisor to the Outdoor Swimming Society and Consultant Anaesthetist at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, cold water swimming can “produce positive health benefits and give us the confidence and physical and mental ability to endure other stresses in the future.”
Researchers have also found that menopausal women who regularly swim in cold water report significant improvements to their physical and mental symptoms – and the activity is found to improve menstrual symptoms.
But experts believe that the benefits are merely anecdotal and can be subjective as responses vary from person to person.
