Gabby Logan: Being fit no barrier to heart problems

Presenter Gabby Logan is supporting calls for young athletes to undergo heart screening.

She said being "sporty and fit" was not a "barrier or protection" from having a heart condition.

Her brother, Daniel Yorath, was having a kickabout with dad Terry, the former Wales and Leeds United footballer, in their back garden in 1992 when he collapsed and died, weeks after signing for Leeds and just before his 16th birthday.

A post-mortem examination revealed Daniel had a disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder for the heart to pump blood.

Logan supports heart screening for young athletes who play regularly at a high level in a bid to reduce the risk of unknown heart conditions.

Welsh charity Calon Hearts wants all children between 11 and 35 who represent their school or county in a sport to be offered heart screening.

But Wales' health minister said that screening to prevent sudden cardiac death in 12 to 39-year-olds was not recommended by the UK National Screening Committee which had already considered the issue.

3 February 2022