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In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Emma Willis revealed she recently underwent keyhole surgery after living with an undiagnosed heart condition.
The TV presenter has explained how she was ‘blissfully unaware’ she had a hole in her heart all of her life.
Sharing the news Emma, who is married to Busted star Matt Willis, admitted she was shocked to discover what was happening ‘in my body.’
‘Turns out, I’ve been pottering around for 48 years blissfully unaware I had a hole in my heart. Isn’t it bonkers what’s happening in our bodies that we have no idea about…’ she told her Instagram followers.
‘What blows my mind even more is the wonders of modern medicine, and the spectacular people that save, fix and help us every single day.’
The medical term for ‘hole in the heart’ is septal defects – which refers to a hole between two of the heart’s chambers.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Emma Willis revealed she recently underwent keyhole surgery after living with an undiagnosed heart condition
The TV presenter has explained how she was ‘blissfully unaware’ she had a hole in her heart all of her life
Atrial septal defect is a congenital heart condition that sufferers are born with although the cause is unknown, according to the NHS.
An atrial septal defect (ASD) is where there’s a hole between the 2 collecting chambers of the heart (the left and right atria). When there’s an ASD, extra blood flows through the defect into the right side of the heart, causing it to stretch and enlarge.
Children with ASD only show mild symptoms but can be prone to more chest infections and can sometimes cause breathlessness and a heart murmur.
A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a common form of congenital heart disease. It occurs when there’s a hole between the 2 pumping chambers of the heart (the left and right ventricles).
This means that extra blood flows through the hole from the left to the right ventricle, due to the pressure difference between them. The extra blood goes to the lungs, causing high pressure in the lungs and a stretch on the left- sided pumping chamber.
Small holes often eventually close by themselves, but larger holes need to be closed using surgery.
Former Big Brother host Emma told fans she had recently had surgery at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London.
Keyhole heart surgery involves making small incisions in the chest as opposed to the breastbone as in traditonal open heart surgery.
The TV presenter, 49, took to Instagram on Wednesday and shared several photos of herself taken in hospital following the procedure (pictured with husband Matt)
Former Big Brother host Emma told fans she had recently had surgery at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. Keyhole heart surgery involves making small incisions in the chest (pictured with her surgeon Dr Ee Ling Heng)
The surgeon accesses the heart through the incisions, allowing for a less invasive approach with fewer complications and a faster recovery time.
In a lengthy post, Emma thanked her husband Matt and the staff at the Royal Brompton Hospital who looked after her.
Emma and Matt have been together for more than 20 years and they have three children together – Isabelle, 15, Ace, 13, and Trixie, eight.
They tied the knot in 2008 and are approaching their 20th wedding anniversary, but have overcome some struggles over the years, including Matt’s drug and alcohol addiction.
Former Busted star Matt recently told MailOnline how couple’s therapy has helped him and Emma move on from challenges in their decades-long relationship.
They started marriage counselling in 2020 yet Matt admitted Emma was originally reluctant to do it, but is now glad they did because it ‘transformed’ their marriage.
