James Buckley has revealed that blood tests showed Lipoprotein(a), a genetic condition he says puts him at high risk for a cardiovascular incident. He disclosed the diagnosis on The Buckleys, where he also said he has already started cutting back on alcohol and unhealthy food.
At 38 years old, he is dealing with something that can sit quietly for years. The condition is described as a genetically inherited type of blood cholesterol, affects one in five people across the world, and usually shows no physical symptoms until a cardiovascular event occurs.
The Buckleys disclosure
“I don’t want to steal your thunder Clair but I’ve also had health problems,” he said on the podcast before adding, “Got a genetic disease mate!” He then put the diagnosis into plain terms: “I’ve had health problems [...] something to do with my Lipoprotein(a). There’s nothing you can do about it.”
He also said, “The doctor’s just been like: ‘You need to change’.” That has already meant one practical shift: he said he is not drinking alcohol and is cutting back on unhealthy foods, after saying he has been trying to do “a little bit of a reset.”
Risk, family, and routine
The diagnosis became part of a family conversation because he said his two sons might also inherit the condition. “Another little worry is that because it’s genetic my children might have it. They’re fine at their age, its when they get to my age that’s when it might become a problem,” he said.
He also placed the change in context, saying he and Clair were drinking beer every day during Covid. His response now is narrower and more immediate than a general health pledge: he is trimming the habits that were easiest to overlook, and that is where the story turns from a disclosure into a routine reset.
Why Lipoprotein(a) matters
Lipoprotein(a) is not the sort of condition people usually feel day to day. The article describes it as a blood-cholesterol problem that can speed plaque build-up in arteries and increase the risk of blood clotting, which is why the diagnosis lands as a risk marker rather than a symptom story.
For Buckley, that means the important next step is not a dramatic public announcement but consistency. He has already changed what he drinks and eats; whether he will undergo any further medical treatment or monitoring is the open question left on the table, even as the lifestyle reset has begun.
Recent The Inbetweeners return talks sit in the background as a separate industry story, but this disclosure is about health first: a 38-year-old actor now has to manage a genetic risk that may also shape what happens for his family.
