Hampshire TV star Dr Zoe Williams opens up about health scare: 'I was just surviving it'
“I was just surviving it, I was just about coping.”
Removing stress from her life was the key to improving the health of a GP and television personality.
In 2023, Dr Zoe Williams faced a health scare where her heart went into an “abnormal rhythm” of 300 beats a minute. The TV star, from Hampshire, has appeared as the resident doctor on ITV’s This Morning alongside presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley.
Dr Williams said: “I was on a weekend trip with some friends before ending up in A&E in Spain for a night. They almost had to put the paddles on my chest and defibrillate to try and put my heart back into a normal rhythm.
“I did quiz them about why it happened, but was reassured that there is no specific cause. At that time, my nervous system was so dysregulated - not because I was stressed by anything bad. I had the life I wanted and even though it wasn’t negative stress, it was still very stressful,” she admits.
“I’ve often got demands coming from different places and even though I created this life I liked, I wasn’t really living it - I was just surviving it, I was just about coping.”
Dr Williams’ journey with fitness has also changed dramatically in recent years, following a severe spinal stenosis diagnosis and back surgery in February of this year to remove overgrown ligaments and bone.
Dr Williams suggested that the simple ways people can reset their nervous system and overall happiness are also the easiest.
She said: “One of the best things you can do is eat all your meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner - every day without fail and as close to the same time as possible. Make sure your plate has complex carbohydrates, a good healthy protein source and loads of vegetables.
“Getting early morning sunlight is important, too. This helps regulate your body clock – it tells your body the day has started and helps regulate cortisol levels, serotonin levels and regulates melatonin levels in the evening.
“I love the physiological sigh – where you breathe in fully through your nose and then take a short, sharp, further breath in through your nose and then breathe out through your mouth.”