In April 2020 popular TV presenter and property expert Martin Roberts, known and loved for his enthusiastic tours around auction buildings in BBC's long-running daytime programme, Homes Under The Hammer, was close to death and he says he is still struggling to come to terms with the traumatic experience.
After feeling unwell, Martin was rushed to the Royal United Hospital in Bath where he was hours from death. Martin was diagnosed with cardiac tamponade, when a protective sack around his heart became inflamed, filled with fluid and stopping his heart from working efficiently.
The sack had to be drained via an emergency operation, producing over a litre of liquid. Generally symptoms of this condition can include breathlessness, low blood pressure and a light-headed feeling and tightness in the chest, but Martin explains on his Instagram account that in his case he was having chest pains and 'generally feeling lousy'.
