Olivia Attwood has revealed she suffered a "really sad end to sport" as a teenager following a serious health problem.
The ex-Love Islander competed in long-distance running at county and national level before having to confront a 'horrible' and 'sudden' end to her days in athletics.
The 31-year-old TOWIE star admitted she overtrained which saw her lose weight. As a result, she then devastatingly developed an enlarged heart valve.
Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of taking part in ITV ’s new competition show The Games, she said: "I got really over-trained, and I was super underweight.
“I ended up having an enlarged valve in my heart from too much training. It all ended really suddenly and horribly.”
It took her years to even get back in the gym, having adopted a negative attitude towards sport in general.
“Sport was my life,” she said. “And this was like coming back to an environment that I’d shut the door on.
"It was really emotional, the first day of being on the track, and it took a while to get back into running at pace like that.
“I’d never run like that in normal life, unless I was being chased by a murderer – or if there was a sale on!”
The reality TV star will go up against 11 other super-fit celebrities who will have just weeks to master some of the toughest Olympic sports.
The celebrity contestants have just five weeks to prepare to compete across 10 track and field sports before going head-to-head on live TV to win the gold medal.
They'll battle it out over a week of live programming from May 9, competing in events including diving, cycling, running and weightlifting, each trying to rack up enough points to get them to the top of the medals table and crowned Champion of The Games 2022.
The Games presenter, Holly Willoughby, 41, added: "To do a show like this, you need to have real commitment and drive.
“They’re a really fantastic bunch. There’s 12 of them, there are 10 events that they’re going to be competing in, so there’s a lot for them to do. But ultimately, one of them will be crowned the champion.”
Preparing to hit the athletics track, dive into the swimming pool and climb onto the bike saddle are ex-Love Islanders Wes Nelson and Olivia Attwood, Emmerdale actor Rebecca Sarker, former Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas, Harry Potter actor Josh Herdman, model and autism ambassador Christine McGuinness, The Wanted star Max George, footballer and singer-songwriter Chelcee Grimes, ex-Strictly pro Kevin Clifton, Corrie actor Colson Smith, ITV newsreader Lucrezia Millarini, and influencer, model and daughter of Spice Girl Mel B, Phoenix Brown.
Joining Willoughby as a live host is former international cricketer Freddie Flintoff, while ex-England footballer and TV presenter Alex Scott will be trackside reporter, getting all the action as it happens, and former footballer Chris Kamara will commentate.
They’ll be joined by YouTube star and sports fan Yung Filly, Olympic commentator Simon Brotherton, and a panel of sporting legends each night, with the week ending in a final that will crown one male winner and one female winner.
“Competition, for me, brings out the best and the worst,” laughed The Games host and cricket star Flintoff, 44.
“As a sportsman, I thrived on competition – I always thought it was ‘win at all costs’. But spending time with the lads last week, when I went to watch them do the hammer and the hurdles, everyone’s encouraging each other, getting on really nicely, supporting each other.
“But there is that underlying competition, where everybody wants to win."
Flintoff added: “It’s going to be interesting to see how each person adapts. I think everyone’s looking at a different discipline and thinking, ‘That’s the one where I’ll excel’.
"Colson likes the canoeing, the kayaking, Christine McGuinness has the weightlifting, Wes on the hurdle. There’s a real cross-section.”
The Games starts Monday, May 9 at 9pm on ITV.
