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A teenage girl saved her boyfriend's life on their first date by giving him the kiss of life when he suffered a heart attack.

Zach Selby, 19, and Chloe Tones, 16, went on a romantic camping trip to celebrate the first day of their relationship.

But the young couple's first kiss ended up being the kiss of life after Zach collapsed suddenly with chest pains.

Chloe performed life-saving mouth-to mouth resuscitation for 40 minutes until paramedics arrived.

Zach, who is now recovering from his ordeal at home, said: "If it wasn't for my girlfriend I wouldn't be here right now and would never have seen my family again.

"I will never forget it. I can't believe how close I came to dying.

"She was amazing, she saved my life on our very first day as a couple - I don't know how I will ever pay her back.

"It really makes you appreciate things, especially us. She's saved my life so I can spend it with her."

Chloe added: "When I was giving him mouth to mouth his eyes were open. He was just staring up at me from lifeless eyes, it was terrifying.

"I can't believe that was our first kiss. I just thought to myself, if I stop he's not going to be able to live. I knew I had to keep going. It was awful.

"It's had a big impact on us, we've got a really strong bond now because I saved his life.

"I can never forget that night, and it just brought us so close together."

(Image: Newsteam)

Apprentice hairdresser Zach and beauty student Chloe went camping with friends in Woolsthorpe-by-Colesterworth, Lincs., on Sunday.

After enjoying a few drinks together Zach went for a walk alone to a nearby bench.

At around 3.15am he suffered horrific chest pains and was found by Chloe collapsed on the floor.

She said: "I noticed this flashing light in the ground and then realised it was his phone.

"That made me worried and I looked around and realised there was the outline of a body next to it.

"He was floppy. I tried to get him up and shook him but there was nothing.

"I looked closer and it was Zach, lying face down in the grass.

"I picked him up and he woke up again so I sat him on a bench and he told me about the sharp pains in his chest.

"But then he just collapsed, he wasn't breathing either."

Chloe, who has no medical training, dialled 999 and was given instructions on how to perform CPR.

She and her friends were also told to use a nearby public access defibrillator to shock Zach back to life.

Chloe said: "I told him he'd stop breathing and I had to check his pulse, and it was really fast.

"He told me to do CPR, which I have never done before. He had to talk me through doing everything.

"This was for 40 minutes until the ambulance got there - he kept waking up and gagging again."

Paramedics finally arrived and raced Zach to Grantham Hospital over 40 miles away from the campsite.

Chloe stayed at Zach's side by his hospital bed throughout the terrifying ordeal.

Her mum Claire Tones, 38, added: "She's amazing. I'm the proudest mum on the planet.

"I'm very, very pleased that it didn't come to the worse and Zach is still here."

Doctors still don't know what caused Zach's collapse and will fit a monitor to analyse his heart over the next two years.

Because he was adopted aged three and knows nothing about his biological parents, a hereditary condition cannot be ruled out.

He was discharged after spending 48 hours in hospital and is now recovering at home in Grantham, Lincs.

Zach and Chloe say their blossoming relationship is now stronger than ever and they have a special bond as a result of their ordeal.

A spokesman for the East Midlands Ambulance Service said: "This is a great example of how members of the public can help save a life by learning first aid skills.

"We are pleased we were able to play a key role in giving him the best possible chance of surviving his heart attack."