Emma Willis shares her experience of undergoing ‘frightening’ surgery following the discovery of an ‘unusual’ hole in her heart by doctors during a routine examination.

Emma Willis has opened up about undergoing heart surgery earlier this year, calling the procedure ‘pretty scary’.

The much-loved presenter, 49, took a trip to the doctors in January after experiencing an increasing number of heart palpitations.

Following a scan, Emma was shocked to hear she’d been living with an undiagnosed hole in her heart for her entire life ‘which she had no idea about’.

She underwent minimally invasive surgery in March at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London to close the hole. The news of her surgery only became public a few weeks later when she shared about it on Instagram.

Now, Emma has opened up about the surgery during an appearance on Heart Breakfast. 

Emma Willis, 49, opened up about her recent heart surgery during an appearance on Heart Breakfast on Thursday

The much-loved presenter underwent keyhole heart surgery after doctors discovered a hole in her heart 

Speaking with Amanda Holden, 54, and Jamie Theakston, 54, The Voice host said: ‘That is pretty scary (hearing about the heart issue). 

‘You find these things that are happening in your body that you didn’t know about. It was really bizarre. 

She explained, ‘I discovered the issue in January, and by March, I was undergoing the procedure to implant a small device to close a previously unknown hole. This condition had been with me since birth, unbeknownst to me.’

Reflecting on her symptoms, she said, ‘I frequently experienced palpitations, but I attributed them to stress or the occasional night out. It seemed to align with what was happening in my life at the time.’

‘But for the last couple of years, I’ve been having them more and more and they got to a point where it was quite a lot. I also have high cholesterol, which is why I was referred to a cardiologist. 

‘So, it wasn’t even for that, and when I got there the doctor said, “actually, it’s okay, but there is something going on with your heart and I want to check it out!”‘

Emma was then asked about the device she had fitted, to which she replied: ‘It’s a soft metal device, basically. 

‘It kind of looks a bit like this strange covering on these leads (in the studio), and they stretch it really flat and put it in a cannula. 

Emma said it was ‘really bizarre’ discovering she had a hole in her heart which she had ‘no idea about’

She joined usual Heart Breakfast host Amanda Holden, 54, at the radio’s central London studios

‘They then go through your groin, straight into your heart and it pops out of one side of the hole, and then they put it through the other and it seals the gap. The tissue then grows around it for three to six months and it seals.’

Sharing some promising news, Emma revealed that since she underwent surgery the palpitations have eased – though she admitted they may never stop completely.

Emma had candidly opened up about the aftermath of the procedure last month, saying she had been left ‘really anxious and nervous’ in the weeks following surgery. 

The 49-year-old told The Sun: ‘It’s a bit of a head scramble when you find out something like that, that you’ve had something there your whole life, and you had no idea about it.

‘I’m a brilliant overthinker, and my mind will go in every possible direction and scenario, so going into something like surgery, I really got myself at it, I get really anxious and nervous.’

Speaking about her recovery, the 49-year-old continued: ‘It’s been a smooth recovery, it’s been much more of a psychological adjustment, because you don’t have a wound that you can see. The healing is all internal and you can’t feel it.

Emma announced the diagnosis in an Instagram post a few weeks after she underwent surgery in April

Luckily for Emma her husband Matt, 41, was by her side throughout the whole experience and she noted that the Busted star had ‘coached her through breath work and wellness’

‘It’s getting your head around the fact that your heart has to learn how to work in a different way to how it’s worked for nearly half a century.’

Luckily for Emma, her husband Matt, 41, has been by her side throughout the whole experience and she noted that the Busted star has ‘coached her through breath work and wellness’.

She made her return to television for the first time since the surgery last month, featuring in the BBC series Change Your Mind, Change Your Life.

The four-part series, which is thought to have been filmed before her surgery, sees Matt and Emma navigate life’s challenges together. 

Their decision to appear on the show came after the Busted star opened up about his battle with addiction, which Emma had spoken about in her own interviews. 

Ahead of the BBC series’ release last month, Emma said: ‘Therapy has played a huge role in both of our lives, not just individually but as a couple too.

The presenter made her return to television last month, appearing alongside her Busted singer husband on the BBC series Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

‘It’s given us the tools to understand ourselves and each other better, and we know firsthand how powerful that can be. 

‘With this documentary series we’ll hear from incredible experts and see what really happens in the therapy room, to help break down the stigma and start conversations.

‘Asking for help is never a weakness; it’s one of the bravest things you can do.’

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life, released on BBC and BBC iPlayer last month.