An actor who was brought back to life by medics seven minutes after suffering a massive cardiac arrest now paints pictures of what he saw before being resuscitated.

Shiv Grewal, 60, had just finished starring as Don Pedro in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Much Ado About Nothing when he had a massive heart attack at home in Peckham in South East London, after a meal out with his wife Alison, 50.

Shiv, who was put in an induced coma for a month after being revived by emergency service workers, said of the several minutes during which his heart had stopped beating: 'It was like I was in a void but I could feel emotions and sensations.'

Five years on the actor turned artist, who insists he is a 'natural cynic' - describes seeing 'meteorites and space', all of which now inspires his work, which he says aims to capture 'what a person experiences when they cross the threshold of the non-living'.

Shiv's abstract pieces all feature vibrant colours and blurred lines, and depict the 'cosmic journey' he experienced when his heart stopped, during which he recalls being 'weightless' and 'travelling over the moon'.

Performer Shiv Grewal, 60, of Peckham, had just finished on a production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, when he went into cardiac arrest at home, after dining out with his wife Alison

Medics worked for seven minutes to resuscitate Shiv, who says he 'chose' to come back to his wife, during which he says he went on a 'cosmic journey' and saw 'meteorites'

Shiv was put into a medically induced coma due to his brain being starved of oxygen in the minutes after his heart attack.

He had to relearn to walk and talk, and still suffers with speech and mobility problems that mean he hasn't been able to return to the stage.

The actor said of the moment he collapsed: 'I knew, somehow, that I was dead.

'I was aware my brain was dying and crying out for help. But, at the same time, I felt things completely separate from my body. It was like I was in a void but could feel emotions and sensations.

'Despite knowing I was dead, I also knew that there was a chance of coming home,' Shiv said.

'I also understood that I'd be reincarnated, but I didn't want that just yet. I wanted to return to life, to the material world and to my wife. I demanded that I was coming back and I got my wish.'

Now Shiv, seen with Alison in hospital, paints pictures inspired by the 'cosmic journey' he went on during the minutes his heart had stopped beating

'I could see meteorites and all of space': This vibrant red and green piece was inspired by Shiv's 'cosmic journey'

The whole experience was 'like a waking dream,' says Shiv, who met his wife in 2004 while starring in a West End production with a friend of hers.

He said his highly personal artwork is an effort to offer other people a glimpse of what awaits us all when we die.

'I had no body as such,' he said.

'I suppose it was a bit like swimming through water, you feel weightless and disconnected from the physical world.

'At one point I was travelling over the moon and I could see meteorites and all of space.'

'You feel weightless and disconnected from the physical world,' says Shiv of 'crossing the threshold', which also inspired this colourful piece

Shiv's traumatic experience left him with epilepsy and struggling to walk and talk. Five years on, he still suffers the after-effects of his brain being starved of oxygen

Shiv at a House of Lords fundraiser to help raise money for awareness around cardiac arrest

Previously fit and healthy, Shiv went into cardiac arrest without any warning on February 9, 2013, after having lunch with Alison at a local French restaurant.

Despite feeling 'pretty good' at the restaurant, Shiv began to feel tired and struggled to articulate on the way home, so went to lie down when the got back while his wife called NHS Direct.

While Alison was on the phone, she saw Shiv's eyes 'roll back' and screamed at the operator to send an ambulance.

'That was basically the last thing I remember,' said Shiv.

The artist recalled how he was technically dead for seven minutes, as paramedics fought to revive him, using CPR (Shiv seen in intensive care)

Shiv is seen perfecting one of his pieces, which he said aims to communicate what a person experiences when they 'cross the threshold'

When paramedics arrived they managed to restart his heart and save Shiv's life, but not before he had technically been dead for seven minutes.

The artist is convinced he had the power to choose whether to go on living.

'I felt there was a whole set of possibilities,' he said.

'Various lives and reincarnations that were being offered to me. But I didn't want them. I made it very clear that I wanted to return to my body, to my time, to my wife and to go on living.

'I needed to be proactive. I said I was coming back. I said it as a demand not a request.'

After being rushed into surgery at Kings College Hospital for an operation to insert a stent into his heart's clogged main artery, Shiv was put in a medically induced coma for a month to recover after enduring cerebral hypoxia - oxygen starvation in the brain.

It also left him with epilepsy.

On his long road to recovery, Shivinder has found art an extremely therapeutic way to document what he saw during his brief encounter with death

Five years on, he has been unable to return to the stage, as he also has problems with his speech and mobility

Five years on, he has been unable to return to the stage due to ongoing problems with his speech and mobility.

Shiv said he has found art to be an extremely therapeutic way to document what he saw during his brief encounter with death, on his long road to recovery.

The artist, who will be showing the resulting works at an exhibition called Reboot at The Sanctum Hotel in London's Soho, from August 15 to September 24, said: 'I remembered everything that happened when my heart stopped and have tried to translate it into art.

'My works act as a map to rediscovery and to understanding my experience.'

Describing himself as 'scientifically-minded' and a 'natural cynic,' nevertheless, Shivinder says his experience has cemented his belief in an afterlife

(Shiv with fellow actor and former Eastenders star Nabil Elouahabi)

The artist, who will be showing the resulting works at an exhibition called Reboot at The Sanctum Hotel in London's Soho

Shiv had just finished a production of Much Ado About Nothing before the fateful day (seen on stage)

Describing himself as 'scientifically-minded' and a 'natural cynic,' nevertheless, Shivinder says his experience has cemented his belief in an afterlife.

'I'm less fearful of death because of it, but at the same time I'm also more fearful, because I've realised how precious everything I have in life is,' he said.

'I'm grateful just to be here. My drive for life has been boosted. I've always thought that kindness is essential for humans to evolve and become better, but after this experience, I now feel this very deep inside me - like a fundamental truth.

'Producing the work featured in my exhibition has been part of my recovery, but it also goes beyond that. I have tried to capture what a person experiences when they cross the threshold of non-living and to, hopefully, convey that to others.'