Exclusive:
A This Morning star was left forced to write an emergency will after being rushed to hospital with an irregular heart rhythm, resulting in a scary ‘wake up call’.
Dr Zoe Williams may be confident dishing out medical advice to the nation on This Morning, but when it comes to her own health, things can be slightly more daunting. The 44-year-old, who is the resident doctor on the ITV show, had a scary ordeal last year when she was taken into hospital for an abnormal heart rhythm, something she tells us was a terrifying wake-up call.
Talking to us about the health panic, Zoe reveals she even made an emergency will. “I ended up spending a night in hospital and at one point they almost had to put the paddles on my heart – not because my heart had stopped – but to try and shock it back into a normal rhythm. So they had me write an emergency will. It was very scary,” says Zoe, as she sits down for an exclusive chat with us.
“I had to, for the first time, consider my own mortality. I didn’t think I was going to die, but I also didn’t feel completely certain that I wasn’t going to die in that scenario, hence the makeshift will.” Thankfully, Zoe says she has been assured by doctors that the scare isn’t anything to worry about. However, it has given her a new outlook on life and living stress-free.
“Since then, I’ve had a procedure which means that won’t happen again and I’ve been reassured by the cardiologist that it’s not anything I’ve done, my heart is actually very healthy. It’s just a thing where some people are unlucky. But in some ways I’m glad that happened to me, it’s been a bit of a gift as it gets you thinking about the things that matter.
“At the time, I thought, ‘Is it caffeine? Is it stress?’ and it turns out it was probably none of those things. But in those few weeks before I saw the cardiologist, I thought, ‘I can’t afford to be stressed any more.’
“I realised I had to let go of things in my life that were causing stress. It got me looking at my diet and nutrition, and how much alcohol I drink. It was like, ‘How can I just tweak those things to just be a bit healthier?’ It got me to really take a look at my life and what’s important.”
What is important to Zoe is clearly her family, as she lights up when chatting to us about her three-year-old son, Lisbon, who she shares with her recruitment consultant partner Stuart McKay.
Last year, the trio packed up their life in the UK and relocated abroad in an effort to spend more quality time together. “We packed up our home and put it in storage, which was a really scary thing to do – to leave our family and friends behind,” she says. “I think we’ve learned a lot about ourselves as a family, as people and as individuals, and it’s helped us really figure out what we want longer term.
“We’re coming back to the UK in April and we know now that we don’t want to live in London any more; we want to live closer to nature.”
While Zoe has a tight-knit family bond, she’s not one to shy away from the challenging times as she mentions “ups and downs” when chatting about the past few years. One of which is her integration into motherhood, which she admits wasn’t easy at first as she reveals how loneliness crept in.
“My little one is at a really fun age and I’m really enjoying being his mum, but the first six months I found it really difficult and challenging. Perhaps because I was an older mum, I think it was the loneliness and the loss of self,” says Zoe, candidly.
“When you have your first baby, you’re sort of born as a mother, too. So, with every job I’ve ever had there
was the element of sharing responsibility with other people, whereas being a mum, there’s no one to share it with other than my partner. You don’t get a break or a weekend off when you’re a parent. It’s definitely the hardest job I’ve ever done.”
Happily, Zoe is now firmly in the swing of things as a mum, and while she says being a GP means she’s well equipped to handle any bugs that hit the family, she still worries just like any other parent. Recently, Zoe has been working with fruit smoothie snack brand GoGo squeeZ to ensure her son has all the nutrients he needs.
“We all want our children to have the ultimate perfect nutrition, but in reality we do need convenience. That’s why Go Go squeeZ comes in handy as a snack that’s highly nutritious, one of your five-a-day, but very convenient. It’s something you can always keep with you, and know you’re giving your child a snack with good nutrition.”
From life as a busy mum to working as a doctor, it’s clear Zoe wears many hats. But to many folk, she’s best known for popping up on their TV screens on This Morning, a role she still very much enjoys.
“It’s great. While I can see 40 patients in a day in a world of general practice, on This Morning, I can be speaking to a million patients and if just a few of those people make a positive change, that’s a good thing.”
GoGo squeeZ is a fruit smoothie snack made with 100% real fruit, providing one of kids’ five-a-day and a source of fibre, with nothing artificial added RRP £2.55 (4 pack)
