Rosie O’Donnell: Heart attack is motivating

Rosie O'Donnell admits that her perspective on life has transformed since "almost dying".

The 50-year-old comedian suffered a heart attack in August, the same week she was planning to host a wedding celebration with wife Michelle Rounds, whom she married in June.

She credits her life to Michelle's swift thinking and Rosie's purview has altered immensely since this event.

"Almost dying is a good motivator [for change]!" she told Extra at the Building Dreams for Kids Gala charity function in New York City.

"Michelle said, 'Do you think it's a heart attack?' and she Googled it... then she gave me some aspirin to chew, which was a very good move, the doctor said.

"We had a big ceremony planned for August 17 and then Michelle had to have some surgery. We asked the doctor if he thought we should put it off, and he said yes. It turned out to be a great thing because on August 17, I was in the hospital, having had a heart attack, so it actually ended up being the right decision."

With her health scare behind her, Rosie is now fully focused on her Rosie's Theater Kids charity.

The theme song Sing My Own Way written by Morgan Karr and Steven Jamail fully expresses the philanthropic organisation's ultimate goal.

"It is a 17-week in school programme for the poorest schools in Manhattan," Rosie explained.

"We go in there with the Board of Education and teach kids everything they need to know about theatre."