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Former Liverpool FC manager Graeme Souness has become an ambassador for the British Heart Foundation after facing his own battles against heart disease.

The Sky Sports pundit was diagnosed with a coronary heart condition at the age of 38 after doctors discovered three of his arteries were blocked.

He had a triple heart bypass but another blockage was discovered 10 years later.

Souness, 63, suffered a heart attack last year and collapsed at home in front of his wife.

The former Middlesbrough, Liverpool and Rangers star has now become the British Heart Foundation’s research ambassador.

He said: “When I was diagnosed with coronary heart disease, I was as fit as any other player on the pitch.

“I never thought I’d be the type of person to get heart disease but if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.

“In the UK, every eight minutes someone dies from coronary heart disease, so during a 90-minute match from kick-off to the final whistle, an entire team of 11 players could be taken away from their friends and family.

“Each year the British Heart Foundation funds £100m of research in its fight against heart disease.

“I’m proud to be on their side as an ambassador for research, but they urgently need more support to help end this suffering.”

Souness, who managed Liverpool from 1991 to 1994, was diagnosed with an abnormal heart rhythm following last year’s attack, caused by problems with the electrical signals in the heart.

He still trains five days a week at the gym but his condition will continue to be monitored.

Coronary heart disease is the UK’s single biggest killer and responsible for nearly 70,000 deaths each year.

More information is available from www.bhf.org.uk