TV star plans 'huge changes' after heart attack

A BBC DIY SOS star has said he is going to make 'huge lifestyle changes' after surviving a heart attack while cold water swimming.

Mark Millar said before the incident he was "feeling amazing" and then suddenly he "got a strapping pain" across his chest while swimming off Clevedon's coast, in north Somerset.

He was rushed to Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) and is now waiting for a triple heart by-pass.

Mr Millar said: "It felt like someone was tightening a belt around me. If it was not for my friends and my £15 float, I am not sure I if I would be here today."

The TV star, who regularly swims off Clevedon's coast, said as soon as the pain started it felt "like a lifetime" for him to swim back to the shore with help from his friends.

"I was having red flags, everything was wrong," he said. "The water felt like treacle, I felt absolutely dreadful."

When he did reach land, he realised his friends were talking to him and he could not understand them. He was then taken to BRI and is now awaiting open heart surgery.

Mr Millar said he is "trying to stay positive", while doing suitable exercises.

He added BRI's staff have been "incredible" and he "could not thank them enough".

Looking to the future, he said he plans to make "huge changes" in the way he lived.

"I've got to step away from stress, that's a huge killer. You know if your job is bringing you pain, do it a different way.

"If there are people around you who are bringing anxiety and stress, step away from them.

"Relax, breathe deeply and have a clean, healthy lifestyle," he said.

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