Alison Hammond has returned to ITV's This Morning following her health scare last week, describing the experience as "the scariest thing" she has ever been through and revealing it has given her a new outlook on life.
The Birmingham-born presenter, 51, rushed off the stage mid-broadcast last week, holding her chest and struggling to breathe. She explained she thought she was having a heart attack and was taken to hospital, where it was later confirmed she had been experiencing a panic attack.
Return to the show
Returning to the ITV show today alongside co-host Dermot O'Leary, Alison revealed how scared she had been during the incident. She told This Morning viewers: "Thank you first of all for holding the fort, and thank you to everyone who sent their good wishes."
She added: "All I can say is, in that moment, it was probably one of the most scariest things that I've ever been through - surreal. You know what I felt like? I felt like I went into the other world. What's that show that I love?" as Dermot explained, it was Stranger Things.
Feeling guilty
Alison described the sensation: "You know when you go into the Upside Down world? I felt like I went into the Upside Down world. I couldn't grasp my breath, and it was a panic attack. And, you know, I feel - I feel guilty that I didn't have a heart condition or anything, a little bit, because it was so much of a fuss."
She continued: "But I didn't know! It's the first time I've ever experienced anything like that. Secondly, it was live on TV, so I thought, 'Oh my gosh, my son might be watching,' so I just ran - I ran off TV! I mean, I would never do that normally, but I just couldn't catch my breath.
"It just was like a wave, something which I now found out is adrenaline. That came into my body, I couldn't catch my breath, and I genuinely thought I was having a heart attack."
New outlook on life
Alison also explained how the experience has changed her perspective. She said: "I'm so glad I'm here, I feel so grateful, I feel so thankful to God, to everything in life. I'm so happy that I'm here, and I'm so happy to see you. You was absolutely wonderful! And I'm so glad, I'm so glad we're alive, and if anything, it's made - it's made me look at life so much differently, you know? Take stock, you know, look after my health, you know, I'm drinking a lot of water..."
What is a panic attack?
The NHS says a panic attack is an intense wave of severe physical and mental anxiety that comes on very quickly, usually peaking within a few minutes. While they usually last between five and 20 minutes, they can be very frightening although are not physically dangerous.
Symptoms include a pounding or racing heart, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath or choking sensation, chest pain, dizziness, nausea, and a feeling of impending doom or fear of dying.
