Lottie Lion has revealed she has been diagnosed with a ‘life-changing’ heart condition.
The Apprentice star, 24, who starred in the 2019 series when she was 19, recently had heart surgery after collapsing on holiday in Sydney.
After being rushed to hospital in an ambulance, doctors discovered she has Wolff Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW).
WPW is a relatively common heart condition that causes the heart to beat abnormally fast for periods of time, due to an extra electrical connection in the heart.
The extra connection grows while the unborn baby is developing in the womb, but symptoms may not develop until later in life.
Lottie Lion has revealed she has been diagnosed with a ‘life-changing’ heart condition
The Apprentice star, 24, who starred in the 2019 series when she was 19 (pictured), recently had heart surgery after collapsing on holiday in Sydney
While the syndrome is usually not serious and can normally be completely cured with treatment, it can be life-threatening in rare circumstances.
Unfortunately for Lottie, as she also suffers from a second diagnosis of an abnormal heart rhythm, there is a greater risk of her suffering a heart attack or stroke.
She now must take a course of medication and undergo further surgery, but has been deemed medically unfit to fly back to the UK, leaving her stranded in Australia.
Speaking to The Sun, Lottie voiced her devastation, saying: ‘This is going to be life-changing for me, as I usually live an extremely active lifestyle attending the gym every day. I took for granted how fit and healthy I was.
‘I absolutely loved my active lifestyle and I’m devastated and very frustrated that I can’t at present continue that. I am on strict instructions having to take four different medications three times a day until I am able to have my second heart surgery.’
She revealed the second operation will involve cauterising the extra electrical pathway in her heart and has a two-month recovery period.
Lottie said she first experienced heart palpitations while in Bali, before she flew to Sydney, but dismissed it as anxiety.
After being rushed to hospital in an ambulance, doctors discovered she has Wolff Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) along with a second diagnosis of an abnormal heart rhythm
She now must take a course of medication and undergo further surgery, but has been deemed medically unfit to fly back to the UK, leaving her stranded in Australia
After arriving Down Under, she recalled: ‘I was on a walk and felt extremely dizzy and was having heart palpitations. The next thing I knew I woke up in an ambulance.’
Lottie took to her Instagram last week to share a selfie from her hospital bed, while wearing an oxygen mask, after her operation.
She reassured her followers the surgery went well as she told them she was on the ‘road to recovery’.
Sharing a picture of her view from her hospital room, Lottie captioned the story: ‘Focusing on recovery, thank you for your lovely messages.’
Lottie took to her Instagram last week to share a selfie from her hospital bed, before reassuring her followers the surgery went well as she told them she was on the ‘road to recovery’
