Exclusive:
The Olympic gold medallist urged the public to face up to their health concerns following the tragic death of a friend
Sally Gunnell OBE has opened up about the loss of a friend, who died without warning. The Olympic gold medallist faced a harrowing wake-up call when her former physiotherapist suddenly suffered a ‘massive heart attack’ despite no prior symptoms.
The 61-year-old had been an athlete throughout his life, always cycling and spending time in the gym while keeping alcohol intake to a minimum. But a small piece of plaque caused a blockage in his arteries, and he died instantly.
“He died just instantly, and that was it,” Sally said in an exclusive interview with the Mirror. “There was nothing. No warnings. I think he’d been out on his bike a couple of days before.”
Sally went on: “He was an athlete for many years, had always kept himself fit and healthy, but I guess you just don’t know what stress people are under and what else is going on in their life.
“But you know, he was always in the gym, always kept himself fit, didn’t drink loads or anything like that, really. […] And I think it was just, you know, quite a shock.”
Her friend’s passing three years ago underscores a grim reality that heart attacks remain the leading cause of death globally for both men and women, according to British Heart Foundation statistics.
The UK sees about 100,000 hospital visits annually due to heart attacks, equating to one every five minutes. Cleveland Clinic also suggests that around 20 to 60% of cases are entirely ‘silent’, describing often painless events with no prior symptoms.
Sally and her husband, John, were completely floored by the death of their friend, whose lifestyle habits mirrored their own. In light of this, they decided to undergo a health examination with Bluecrest Wellness. This took around 30 to 45 minutes and included blood tests, an ECG, and other assessments.
Results showed that while Sally’s iron levels were a little high, her ‘metabolic age’ was 42 – an impressive 15 years younger than her actual age of 57. The picture wasn’t quite as positive for John, however, as experts noted high cholesterol and early signs of plaque in his arteries.
This was particularly alarming as plaque buildup was a symptom their friend had before his fatal heart attack. Sally continued: “I think John was a bit in denial because sport and exercise have always been in our lives, and you know, and we do eat pretty healthy.
“He was a bit like, ‘Oh, I’m not going to do anything that’s fine, we’ll just carry on,’ [kind of] scenario, and of course, I panicked going, ‘Well, hang on a minute, I can’t just ignore this’.”
Fast forward to now, and the pair have worked together in an effort to change their results. For Sally, this involved cutting red meat intake to combat those high iron levels.
Meanwhile, John now takes statins to help lower his low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, and the pair exercise less strenuously, staying in what they call ‘Zone Two’. They are due for a second check-up in the coming months.
“It’s very easy to bury your head, and sometimes you’re like, ‘Do I really want to know?'” Sally said. “And of course, we do really, because, you know, I’ve always believed that if we leave it too late, it becomes a bigger issue and I’d rather prevent things. I’d rather make changes within my life before it’s too late.”
Now 58, Sally added: “When you hear news of Davina [McCall] and Sir Chris Hoy uncovering these awful health conditions, it really brings home the importance of facing up to this stuff, knowing your numbers, and understanding your risks, without being scared.”
