Aleksa Jelic on His Neck Stent: Plan for a Child on Hold

Aleksa Jelic, a singer and ballet dancer, said in an interview with Blic that he had a stent placed on May 12 because of a blocked right carotid artery in his neck. He also said his plan to have a child through a surrogate mother has stalled. Kurir and Telegraf carried the conversation.

Media reported the stent as early as May. Now Jelic has described himself how the procedure came about and how he feels.

What did Aleksa Jelic say about the stent in his neck?

Asked how he is doing today, he answered without hedging.

I feel great. I feel good, I feel in control, as they say. It turned out they had found a blockage in my right carotid artery, and the advice was to place a stent. The head of cardiovascular surgery at the Clinical Center of Serbia, Marko Dragas, told me they would not make an incision and operate because I am a singer and need to perform constantly. He thought a stent could help. The procedure was on May 12, on the feast day of Saint Basil of Ostrog, and so far, thank God, everything is under control and as it should be.

That is Jelic’s account of his conversation with Marko Dragas, head of cardiovascular surgery at the Clinical Center of Serbia. Dragas appears in this text only through Jelic’s words. The sources do not give the year of the procedure, and the singer mentioned only the date and the church holiday.

Why did surrogacy stall?

Jelic had spoken before about considering surrogacy. He now says the procedure he planned in Colombia has been stopped.

That story is not over, it has just paused. Unfortunately, the laws in Colombia have changed quite a bit, especially for foreigners and surrogacy. Few countries in the world allow it, so the range of possibilities has narrowed. Ukraine is one of the options, but the situation is what it is. So I decided to slow down for a while and let some higher powers do their part.

He names Ukraine as another possibility, noting that the situation there is uncertain. For now he has put the plan aside.

He has not given up on wanting to become a father. “God willing, I would like to become a father,” he told Blic, and added: “I haven’t given up on that idea, but I would also like the pieces to fall into place.” He can accept the pause. He says that is “another change” in him: he has stopped trying so hard, no longer tries to control everything, and is less impatient.

Retirement, ballet and a new single

Jelic has been at the National Theatre for more than 20 years. He has also worked at the Terazije Theatre, in the Kolo ensemble, at Lafayette and in Spain. He danced until he was 48, and he performed in the production “Who’s Singing Out There” more than 200 times.

He would like the legal rules to change so he does not have to hold his position until he is 65. In his words, he would like to free it up for someone new and retire. For now that is a wish, not an announcement of a concrete solution.

He was firm that he does not want to be classed with the estrada, the Serbian pop scene.

I don’t mind that they label me that way, but I don’t know who those many people are who do it. They are wrong. I have never been part of the estrada, nor do I feel that way. I am an artist with many wishes, a lot of motivation and ideas, who wants to create and bring them to life.

He also said he is different from his stage persona: “I am a big softie.” He builds his career in Belgrade, while his private life is in Barcelona.

The occasion for the interview was his new single “Time of Change,” which he worked on for several years. He also released an acoustic version. He closed the interview with the words: “Time is still ahead of me.”