Bradley Walsh was warned by doctors he risked death if he didn’t lose weight.
The 60-year-old TV presenter has revealed he’s transformed his lifestyle by quitting alcohol and giving up fatty foods after doctors told him he was a walking "time bomb".
Bradley – whose dad died of heart disease aged 59 – shared: "I produce too much cholesterol. It’s a silent killer. My heart guy said, ‘Look, Brad, you need to get fit.’"
Bradley hopes his experience will encourage other people to take their health more seriously.
The ‘Chase’ host told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "I had a hang-up because my father, Daniel, died at the age of 59.
"I had it in the back of my mind that I just had to get past my dad’s age. So turning 60 was a bit of milestone.
"I was 33 when he passed away. I’d just done the Royal Variety Show performance which helped launch my career, but my dad died from heart failure two weeks after that and never got to see it.
"Once you know it’s hereditary, you start having regular tests. Of course it’s a concern.
"Every couple of years I go and have a full medical at the Loughton Cardiac Clinic.
"I go on the treadmill, and then I have a carotid artery test, which is a total game-changer. People don’t normally have them because, on the NHS, you don’t really get them unless you’ve had a heart attack.
"But they basically tell you how much furring you’ve got in the artery which is in your neck and it’s a very accurate predictor of whether you’ll then have furring in your heart.
"I also had a calcium test for my heart and that came back at zero which is good, but I also have hereditary high cholesterol through my mum, Margaret.
"I’m not on statins but what my heart guy said was, ‘Look, Brad, if you start training, all that (cholesterol) will drop. You need to get fit’.
"I was a time bomb. I was quite lucky in regards to the calcium test but my doctor said I produce too much cholesterol. It’s a silent killer."