Arnold Schwarzenegger details recovery from 2018 open-heart surgery

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Arnold Schwarzenegger is providing new details on a health scare he went through a few years ago.

In 2018, the action star and former California governor was undergoing what was expected to be a non-invasive procedure when something went wrong and he suddenly needed open-heart surgery. He says the doctors had made a mistake and poked through the wall of his heart, requiring them to open him up to stop his internal bleeding and save his life.

He posted a video on YouTube discussing his reaction and recovery as part of his health and fitness group, Arnold's Pump Club.

"I was in the middle of a disaster," he recalled. "So now it's how do I get out of it? So, you have to shift gears, correct yourself, shift gears and say, 'OK, what I have to do now is get out of his hospital, number one. How do I get out of the hospital is by getting out of bed and start walking."

The video shows his steps toward rehabilitation, starting with walking with the assistance of a walker just a few steps at a time in the hospital, and then calling in some friends to help him out.

And, three months later, he started shooting "Terminator: Dark Fate," the sixth installment in the franchise that made him a box-office star.