Emma Willis has revealed she underwent surgery to close a hole in her heart after the condition — a form of congenital heart disease — was picked up only in adulthood. The 49‑year‑old television presenter told viewers on This Morning that the discovery, made after a cardiology appointment about cholesterol, sparked immediate alarm: “You find something out like that and you go ‘oh my goodness what does it mean,’” she said, adding that a late‑night session with “doctor Google” magnified her anxiety. According to the original report, the operation took place at London’s Royal Brompton Hospital.

Willis said the diagnosis followed a string of checks last year, during which clinicians noted an enlarged heart before a cardiologist identified the structural defect. Speaking on television about the moment she learned the news, she described a spiralling thought process that led to panic and sleepless nights. The procedure itself was carried out by a specialist team: the presenter publicly thanked her surgeons and posted from hospital about the care she received, praising the clinicians who treated her.

Her surgeon, Dr Ee Ling Heng, told This Morning that congenital heart defects present in very different ways depending on the size and location of the abnormality — some people will be unaware of a defect for years, while others experience symptoms early. Hospital and professional profiles show Dr Heng is a consultant cardiologist at Royal Brompton & Harefield with specialist expertise in adult congenital heart disease and structural interventional procedures, including percutaneous closure of septal defects. Media coverage of Willis’s case described the operation as a minimally invasive, keyhole procedure that plugged the defect and reduced episodes of palpitations, while also noting the team’s wider expertise in cardiac imaging and interventional cardiology.

Public health guidance underlines why cases like Willis’s can still come as a shock. The NHS states congenital heart disease is one of the most common birth defects in the UK — affecting almost one in 100 babies — and covers a broad spectrum from small septal (hole) defects that may be asymptomatic for years to more complex malformations. Typical signs that warrant medical review include breathlessness, chest pain, fainting with exertion, a bluish tinge to the skin or lips, palpitations and swelling in the limbs or abdomen, though many mild defects only come to light through imaging or incidental findings.

Willis has been candid about the psychological aspect of recovery. In an interview with The Sun she said: “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… It’s been much more of a psychological adjustment, because you don’t have a wound that you can see.” Other reports and her social posts describe a supportive presence from family — her husband was by her side — and gratitude for the medical team, whom she thanked for their care and skill.

Specialist cardiologists stress that treatment and follow‑up depend on the individual defect. Some septal holes close spontaneously or are amenable to catheter‑based closure without open‑heart surgery; others require different interventions and lifelong surveillance by a congenital heart service. Royal Brompton’s teaching and research profile emphasises this multidisciplinary approach, with consultant cardiologists involved in both procedural work and longer‑term outcome studies.

Willis’s experience has prompted a familiar message from clinicians and patient groups: modern cardiac imaging and minimally invasive treatments mean many congenital defects identified in adulthood can be effectively managed, but anyone experiencing relevant symptoms should seek assessment from their GP or a cardiology service. The case also highlights the emotional as well as the clinical dimensions of discovering a previously undetected heart condition, and the importance of specialist follow‑up as the heart adjusts after corrective procedures.

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Source: Noah Wire Services