Emma Willis has revealed that her heart surgery wasn’t just a physical struggle but also challenged her mentally as she opened up about the recent procedure.
The presenter, 49, revealed last month that she was living with an undiagnosed heart condition and secretly underwent keyhole surgery in May.
Emma has now said she ‘had no idea’ about the heart condition and she was ‘really anxious and nervous’ ahead of heading into hospital.
She has now 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.’
The keyhole surgery meant Emma avoided an open-heart recovery and she revealed her recovery has been ‘smooth’ but she has had to learn to adjust. 
Emma Willis has revealed that her heart surgery wasn’t just a physical struggle but also challenged her mentally as she opened up about the recent procedure
The presenter, 49, revealed last month that she was living with an undiagnosed heart condition and secretly underwent keyhole surgery in MayShe 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.
‘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’.
Emma is set to return to TV screens in May.
She will star in a new BBC One show, Change Your Mind, Change Your Life, centered around mental health with her husband Matt.
The four-part series, understood to have been filmed before Emma’s surgery, will see the couple team up with therapists to help navigate life’s modern challenges.
Speaking about the show, which will air from May 13, the pair said: ‘Therapy has played a huge role in both of our lives, not just individually but as a couple too.
‘It’s given us the tools to understand ourselves and each other better, and we know firsthand how powerful that can be.
Emma said: ‘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, I get really anxious and nervous’
The keyhole surgery meant Emma avoided an open-heart recovery and she revealed it has gone ‘smooth’ but she has had to learn to adjust
She 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’
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’
‘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.’
The news comes just after Emma explained how she was ‘blissfully unaware’ she had a hole in her heart all of her life.
Sharing the news publicly for the first time, Emma admitted she was shocked to discover what was happening ‘in my body’.
‘Turns out, I’ve been pottering around for 48 years blissfully unaware I had a hole in my heart. Isn’t it bonkers what’s happening in our bodies that we have no idea about…’ she told her Instagram followers.
‘What blows my mind even more is the wonders of modern medicine, and the spectacular people that save, fix and help us every single day.’
The medical term for ‘hole in the heart’ is septal defects – which refers to a hole between two of the heart’s chambers.
Atrial septal defect is a congenital heart condition that sufferers are born with although the cause is unknown, according to the NHS.
An atrial septal defect (ASD) is where there’s a hole between the 2 collecting chambers of the heart (the left and right atria). When there’s an ASD, extra blood flows through the defect into the right side of the heart, causing it to stretch and enlarge.
It comes as Emma is set to return to TV for the first time since her secret heart surgery with her husband Matt
The four-part series will see the couple team up with therapists in the UK to help navigate life’s modern challenges
Children with ASD only show mild symptoms but can be prone to more chest infections and can sometimes cause breathlessness and a heart murmur.
A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a common form of congenital heart disease. It occurs when there’s a hole between the 2 pumping chambers of the heart (the left and right ventricles).
This means that extra blood flows through the hole from the left to the right ventricle, due to the pressure difference between them. The extra blood goes to the lungs, causing high pressure in the lungs and a stretch on the left- sided pumping chamber.
Small holes often eventually close by themselves, but larger holes need to be closed using surgery.
Former Big Brother host Emma told fans she recently had surgery at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London to treat the condition.
Keyhole heart surgery involves making small incisions in the chest as opposed to the breastbone as in traditional open heart surgery.
The surgeon accesses the heart through the incisions, allowing for a less invasive approach with fewer complications and a faster recovery time.
In a lengthy post, Emma thanked her husband Matt and the staff at the Royal Brompton Hospital who looked after her.Emma and Matt have been together for more than 20 years and they have three children together – Isabelle, 15, Ace, 13, and Trixie, eight.
They tied the knot in 2008 and are approaching their 20th wedding anniversary, but have overcome some struggles over the years, including Matt’s drug and alcohol addiction.
Former Busted star Matt recently told MailOnline how couple’s therapy has helped him and Emma move on from challenges in their decades-long relationship .
They started marriage counselling in 2020 yet Matt admitted Emma was originally reluctant to do it, but is now glad they did because it ‘transformed’ their marriage.
