Celebrities Back Heart 999 Campaign

Soap stars who have lost parents to heart attacks today helped launch a British Heart Foundation (BHF) campaign to urge people to call 999 if they suffer chest pain.

Hollyoaks actress, Gemma Atkinson and Coronation Street and Strictly Come Dancing star, Ray Fearon, have appealed for people not to doubt their symptoms, but to call 999 immediately if there’s a chance they might be having a heart attack.

The BHF ‘Doubt Kills’ campaign features a billboard advert showing a man with a belt tightening around his chest, with the caption ‘A chest pain is your body saying call 999’.

Gemma Atkinson, 22, who plays Lisa in the Channel 4 soap, lost her dad, David, from a heart attack four years ago, aged just 52.

Gemma said: “Dad had been having chest pain for about a week before he had his heart attack. He just kept taking Rennies, thinking it was indigestion. There were a number of warning signs he didn’t pick up on.

“I just wish he’d said something earlier, but he kept it to himself. He was really busy at work and was the sort of person just to want to get on with things, not let a bit of chest pain stop him.

“My message to people is don’t hesitate to call 999 if you have chest pain. Don’t worry about wasting anyone’s time – it’s better to do that than waste your life.”

Ray Fearon, who played Nathan in Coronation Street, and was recently voted off Strictly Come Dancing, also lost his dad, David, to a heart attack five years ago, aged 72.

Ray said: “Dad’s heart attack came completely out of the blue – he’d been out and about in the morning and seemed fine. I wasn’t there at the time, but I can imagine he would have just put it down to indigestion and not wanted to make a fuss.

“It’s typical of our nature to doubt things and not want to fear the worst – you tell yourself it’s nothing but when it’s chest pain, people should know that it could be something serious. You shouldn’t feel guilty about calling 999 – it could save your life.”

A host of other celebrities who have been touched by heart disease are backing the ‘Doubt Kills’ campaign, including TV presenter Carol Vorderman, Eastenders and Dad’s Army star, Ian Lavender, soap actor Joe Swash, film actress Phyllida Law, radio DJ Jono Coleman, and former Casualty and Strictly Come Dancing stars, Will Thorp and Georgina Bouzova.

Will Thorp’s mum died of a heart attack whilst on holiday with his dad in Devon in 1999. Will was at drama school at the time.

Will said: “I know all too well how devastatingly quickly a heart attack can happen. Every minute counts and if you get a warning sign, like chest pain, you shouldn’t ignore it. It’s your body saying call 999.

“My message to people is don’t be a DIY doctor – if you think there’s even the slimmest chance you might be having a heart attack, don’t waste time doubting it. You might not live to be able to regret it.”

A YouGov poll for the BHF shows that nearly two-thirds of people (64%) would not call 999 first if they were suffering chest pain - the main symptom of a heart attack.

Professor Peter Weissberg, BHF Medical Director, said: “These statistics portray a very worrying, and perhaps very British, reluctance to call 999 even in the most serious of emergencies. Maybe it is our natural reserve and stoicism, but it is costing lives.

“Every second counts when you are having a heart attack, and the quicker you call 999 the greater your chances of survival. Unfortunately too many people waste vital minutes questioning their symptoms – our message is if you’re suffering chest pain, call 999 immediately, because doubt kills.”

Someone suffers a heart attack every two minutes in the UK, and about one in three dies before reaching hospital.

The most common symptoms of a heart attack are:

- Central chest pain
- The pain can spread to the arms, neck or jaw
- Some people can feel sick or sweaty as well as having chest pain
- Some people can feel short of breath as well as having chest pain

There are also less common symptoms, such as light-headedness, a pain that feels like bad indigestion, and a dull ache or ‘heavy’ feeling in the chest.

Professor Weissberg added: “Central chest pain is the most common warning sign of a heart attack, but it does not have to be excruciating to be a serious problem. The most common mistake people make is to assume it is indigestion, so anyone experiencing bad indigestion-like symptoms should call for help, particularly if they are not prone to indigestion normally.”

People are urged to visit the campaign website, bhf.org.uk/doubtkills, for more information about how to recognise the symptoms of a heart attack and what to do.