Emma Willis has told how she was “floored” by a hole in the heart diagnosis as she met another mother with the same condition.
The broadcaster discovered she was living with a hole in the heart last year.
The 49-year-old is now backing a new campaign by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to raise awareness of people living with heart conditions.
Willis unknowingly lived with a hole in her heart for 48 years, which only became evident after a routine health check last January.
Medics discovered she had an enlarged heart and a hole between the collecting chambers of the heart called an atrial septal defect.
Willis was told she had a congenital condition, meaning she was born with the hole in her heart.
It was closed during a keyhole operation at Royal Brompton Hospital in London two months after diagnosis.
Willis said: “The last thing I expected my cardiologist to say was that it was a congenital heart condition. I was floored as I had gone 48 years oblivious, not knowing anything was wrong.
“It was a bolt out of the blue, and I had a million questions going through my head.
“The mental shift was the biggest challenge, because when you hear those words, it terrifies you.
“My perspective on life shifted. From diagnosis to surgery was the most present I have been in my life.
“I’m hoping that sharing my story will help others going through something like this.”
Source: Press Association