Boxing coach Pete Taylor suffered a heart attack over 'stress' last week and had a stent placement in his artery.
The dad of top Irish boxer Katie Taylor, 56, said he felt chest pain on and off for several weeks but never thought 'it would happen to him'.
Taylor, who was shot in the arm at a boxing club in Bray last year, told his Instagram followers that he was sharing the post to boost awareness over heart disease.
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Pete said in the post: "For a number of weeks I was experiencing on and off chest pain, shortness of breath which I was excusing as fatigue and connected with my arm injury.
"It happened again last week and as I had plans to travel abroad for boxing, I attended the Beacon Hospital rapid access cardiology clinic, where on arrival they informed me I was having a heart attack.
"I was immediately transferred to SVUH where the cardiology team performed an angioplasty and stent placement into my LAD artery."
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Pete has been abstaining from alcohol, training twice a day and not smoking.
He still suffered a blockage and claimed the attack was caused by stress.
The coach added: "I always felt I was one of the fittest and strongest men on the planet, a lifelong athlete who committed myself to healthy living, clean diet and fitness.
"I abstained from alcohol for 25 years, never smoked, trained twice daily, had an active job. I was shocked to be told I was having a heart attack caused by a major blockage in my LAD artery.
"How? STRESS. You don’t have to be unhealthy, unfit, have a bad diet, smoke, drink, take drugs to be at risk of heart disease although none of these things help reduce the risk."
Taylor admitted that stress is "a normal part of life" and can "come from physical and emotional factors".
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He added: "If stress is constant it can harm you. The hormone cortisol can increase blood cholesterol, triglycerides & blood pressure.
"This stress can cause changes that promote the build up of plaque deposits in the arteries which prevents blood flow to the heart.
"I never thought it would happen to me. Take a moment to consider whether you or someone you know need a heart health check," he added.
