Gemma Atkinson and Fabrice Muamba open Cheshire heart clinic

Actress Gemma Atkinson and footballer Fabrice Muamba were asked to officially open Venturi Cardiology – the north west’s first independent dedicated healthy heart clinic.

Based in Birchwood, Warrington, Venturi’s mission is to make world-class heart care accessible, affordable and more personalised.

Former Hollyoaks actress and Hits Radio presenter Gemma was only 17 when her father David died of a heart attack at the age of 52.

Such is her passion for the specialism, the 36-year-old is calling for routine heart tests to become as standard as mammograms are.

Speaking about her dad’s story, she said: “Doctors thought the cause was stress related. At the time, he was very fit and healthy, didn’t smoke and only drank occasionally.

Dr Scott Murray discussing tests with Gemma Atkinson

“He’d had a few chest pains leading up to the first heart attack which he thought was simply indigestion, and so he took some heartburn tables and carried on.

“Looking back now, and thanks to what I know now following my work with the British Heart Foundation, these were classic symptoms and warning signs that something was wrong with his heart.

“If he had gone to the doctors, perhaps he could have been investigated and they could have helped him in time, but we all know that some men don’t like going to the doctors.

“Since I lost my dad, I’ve taken care to make my lifestyle as good as possible – I try to live as healthily as I can with my food choices and the exercise I do.”

After opening Venturi, Gemma underwent heart tests herself to show people how beneficial, quick and painless they are,

“What Venturi is offering people is hugely important. Women go for mammograms and regular smear tests but there’s no focus on the heart, which fundamentally keeps us all alive,” she continued.

“There are lots of health tests for so many different things in the body, which without the heart functioning well would fail. It’s massively important we start with heart health. It gives you peace of mind.

Fabrice Muamba and Gemma Atkinson outside Venturi Cardiology

“I would love to see routine heart checks becoming a standard health check like other regular health tests.

“I want to be able to show people how beneficial the tests are and how quick and painless they are. I might get shocked with the results but hopefully it will give me huge peace of mind.”

Also opening the clinic was former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who in 2012 suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch during an FA Cup quarter-final match at Tottenham.

It took medics 76 minutes to restore a regular heartbeat after he collapsed, but he thankfully was able to make his recovery.

His appearance at the clinic also comes less than three weeks after Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch during his country’s opening Euro2020 match against Finland and had to be given emergency CPR.

Fabrice Muamba having a cholesterol test at Venturi Cardiology

Fabrice said he has reached out to Christian and would be happy to talk to him about their shared health experience when the time is right.

At the launch yesterday, he discussed the importance of raising the awareness of heart screening, how everyone should know how to do CPR and have easy access to a defibrillator.

Fabrice also received a series of heart tests after opening the clinic at the hands of consultant preventative cardiologist and Venturi founder Dr Scott Murray.

Dr Murray, who was inspired to become a cardiologist after his grandfather died suddenly of a heart attack, said: “Every year, more than 100,000 people in the UK die of sudden cardiac arrest, and yet so much of our heart health is driven by what we eat, how we move and through lifestyle choices – factors that are all within our control.

“I see people every day who, if they had received a heart scan five years before, could have been treated or potentially may have been given that push to really change their lifestyle and turn their life around.

Gemma having a cholesterol test

“Our goal is to speed up treatment for patients, save lives and help to offload some of the pressures on the NHS.”

As well as providing routine diagnostic cardiology services, Venturi’s primary objective is to treat the cause of heart disease, currently the UK’s biggest killer.

Every 25 minutes, someone in the north west dies from heart or circulatory disease, with healthcare costs relating to these diseases estimated at £9billion each year.

For more information about Venturi Cardiology and to register your interest in a having a calcium score test or CT Coronary angiogram, visit venturicardiology.com