Natarsha Belling: 'Dad's heart attack was a wake up call'

National Prevention Week's 2014 Heart Health ambassador, Natarsha Belling. Photo: Michelle Holden

Heart disease is a health issue we’re passionate about raising awareness of at Prevention magazine – particularly as only 36% of Australian know it’s their number one killer.

It’s an issue national TEN Eyewitness News weekend bulletin presenter Natarsha Belling is similarly fired up about. In a recent exclusive interview with Prevention to support National Prevention Week (March 23-29) – a nation-wide initiative to raise awareness of preventative health, Belling shared for the first time how her father’s recent heart attack has made her more heart-aware than ever before.

“Heart disease is an extraordinarily important issue, which hit home for me recently when my dad suffered a heart attack and underwent major surgery,” confides Belling. “Once you see a loved one crippled with heart disease, you realise how debilitating it is.” For Belling, who is also an ambassador for Heart Research Australia, it was the first time her father had been in hospital, and to suddenly see a man she describes as “my hero” so unwell was terrifying. “I couldn’t begin to imagine what life would be like without his love, support and wicked sense of humour,” she reflects.

Gallery: Six everyday ways to protect your heart

Sadly, Belling’s father is one of many Australians to battle with heart disease: coronary heart disease kills 55 Australians each day, or one person every 26 minutes, while every year, around 55,000 Australians suffer a heart attack, equating to one heart attack every 10 minutes. And it’s not just men who are at risk: heart disease is the single biggest killer of Australian women and women comprise 49% of all heart attack deaths.

In fact, women are almost three times more likely to die of heart disease than breast cancer. Still think it’s not really relevant to you? More than 90 per cent of Australian women have at least one modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and half of all women have two or three, including high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and being overweight.

More: 12 heart healthy superfoods

For Belling, her father’s experience with heart disease prompted her to be more vigilant about her own heart health. “After Dad had his heart attack and surgery, I went straight to our GP to find out as much as I could about heart disease, and genetically what my dad’s history meant for us and our heart health,” she says. “I’m very mindful after years of being a medical reporter that a preventative approach is the only way to combat this. That way, if there is problem, it’s picked up early when you have a better chance of beating it.”

As a busy working mother of two, Belling knows first-hand how hard it is to find time to get to your doctor to discuss your heart health – but she’s vehement about prioritising it. “As women, we need to be at the forefront of looking after ourselves, as well as others,” she urges, “So start a discussion with your doctor about your heart health today.”

National Prevention Week (March 23 to 29) is a nation-wide initiative of Prevention Magazine, with ambassadors including Rebecca Gibney, Michelle Bridges, Natarsha Belling and Chris Bath. Read their full stories in Prevention magazine's April/May issue on sale now.

Watch: Our exclusive behind the scenes video from this year's amazing shoot.

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Rebecca Gibney: We need to shine a light on mental health
Take a sneak peek at our National Prevention Week issue