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Gemma Atkinson took to Instagram and shared a touching tribute to her late father who died when the former Hollyoaks actress was aged 17. The Strictly Come Dancing star accompanied the message with a heartbreaking clip of a man suffering a cardiac arrest.
In view of her 1.5 million Instagram followers, Gemma explained that her dad never “recovered” after he too suffered cardiac arrest.
The 35-year-old admitted her life “changed forever” following the sudden tragedy.
In the caption of the video, originally posted by the British Heart Foundation, Gemma wrote: “This is what happened to my dad when I was 17, only he didn’t recover.
“He passed away and our lives changed forever.”
She continued: “Thanks to the @the_bhf Mark’s story has a happier ending and the research they are doing will help thousands more.
“I’m so proud to be an ambassador for this wonderful charity. Repost @the_bhf.”
Gemma added: “This footage was filmed before the Covid-19 outbreak but shows the reality of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
“Karate instructor Mark, was filming a sparring session at his local club when he suffered a cardiac arrest.
“His collapse was caught on camera. #RestartAHeart.”
The clip shows the man collapsing before others come to his aid to administer CPR.
Fans flocked to comment on the post, as they offered their condolences to Gemma.
One person said: “I’m very sorry to hear of your family’s loss, that’s so tough. Thank you for highlighting the importance of CPR as a life skill.”
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“CPR should be taught in schools, so that hopefully you don’t ever have to use it, but if you do, you know exactly what to do and it’s just an automatic reaction,” another social media user commented.
A third person added: “That’s terrible to hear. So sorry. Thank you for using your experience to help others.”
While a fourth person wrote: “Great charity to be working with. They do great work.”
The former Emmerdale has previously opened up about the loss of her dad on the picture-sharing site.
She admitted it was “horrendous” and admitted she found it difficult to cope.
Elsewhere, the TV star is cheering on her other half Gorka Marquez as he’s set to make a return to Strictly Come Dancing tonight.
Taking to her Instagram stories, Gemma shared a snap of her beau.
She captioned the post: “Strictly is back! Partner’s revealed.”
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