BBC Morning Live legal expert Gary Rycroft has revealed he was just hours away from a potentially fatal heart attack after ignoring chest pains. The 50-something presenter told hosts Rick Edwards and Helen Skelton that he initially dismissed the symptoms as a sign of ageing.
Rycroft, who started the Couch to 5k challenge, said he felt better but decided to see a doctor. An ECG came back normal, but a cardiac CT scan in January showed a severe blockage in his left anterior descending artery, known online as the 'widow maker'.
He underwent a 40-minute procedure to insert a stent. Afterwards, the cardiologist told him he was 'probably hours or days from having a massive potentially fatal heart attack'. Rycroft described the news as 'quite a lot to take in'.
Doctor Xand van Tulleken assured that with proper management of risk factors like blood pressure and cholesterol, Rycroft's life expectancy remains normal. Rycroft urged others not to wait as long as he did, saying: 'If something's not quite right, it's well worth checking it out.'
