Swansea fitness fanatic’s health warning after heart scare

Before his health scare, he spent many years as an amateur bodybuilder, winning the Mr Wales award 12 times.

But in March 2022 he fell ill, and visited Singleton Hospital in Swansea initially thinking he had flu or a virus, before tests revealed there was bacteria in his blood.

He was later diagnosed with a heart condition called infective endocarditis of the aortic valve that required immediate life-saving surgery.

Mr Andrews said doctors told him he had “been in acute heart failure for two weeks”, and was only alive because of his high level of physical fitness.

He said Dr Afzal Zaidi, the surgeon who treated him, told him: “I’d get your affairs in order because you are in a bad way.”

It was then that he recorded a video for his daughter and wrote a will on his phone because he did not think he would survive the surgery.

Dr Zaidi said his ’ aortic valve had been “completely destroyed” by the infection, and he was “on the verge of death”.

He has since made a “fantastic recovery”, thanks to his own determination and the help of medical staff, Dr Zaidi said.