MIDDLE-AGED men have been warned to curb vigorous dance moves at Christmas parties after an Irish father-of-three died in front of his wife when he finished performing the Gangnam Style dance.

Eamonn Kilbride, understood to be from Dublin, collapsed with chest pains and died in front of his wife and colleagues at a Christmas party in England after performing the 'Gangnam Style' dance.

The 46-year-old had just performed the dance hit by Psy, the South Korean musician, which has had been viewed at least 930 million times online.

Gangnam Style parodies the lives of affluent residents of the country and is accompanied by vigorous dance moves, mimicking riding a horse.

It has been performed by an array of public figures, including Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, and Ai Weiwei, the Chinese dissident artist.

Prof Bernard Keavney, consultant cardiologist at Newcastle University, said men should be "measured" at Christmas parties and warned them not to "stray outside your comfort zone".

He said: "The chance that you'll come to grief is very small. But as with any form of untypical exercise that you're not used to taking, be somewhat measured. Let the lady dance around you.

"I certainly wouldn't say that people need to avoid Gangnam Style over the holidays. [But] if you're unused to taking vigorous physical exercise, you shouldn't throw yourself into violent exertion without due preparation."

Mr Kilbride was attending an office party for the Thwaites brewery in Blackburn, Lancashire, on Saturday night. It is understood he moved from Ireland in the 80s, although it is not yet clear what part of the country he was from.

The IT manager was with his wife, Julie, celebrating her birthday, when he began to experience chest pains at the Whitehall Country Club in Darwen, Lancashire.

His wife tried to revive him and was assisted by paramedics, who quickly arrived at the club, but he was pronounced dead when he arrived at Royal Blackburn Hospital shortly after 11.30pm.

The family, from Burnley, said they had been told by the corner he had suffered from acute heart failure.

Mrs Kilbride praised her “loving husband” of 23 years, who was a keen golfer, for putting his family first.

“He was a great family man and he worked so hard. Eamonn was always the life of the party and loved dancing,” she said.

“We were having a fantastic time at the Christmas party and Eamonn had just finished dancing to Gangnam Style.

“He was up on stage and entertaining everybody. He said he had a bit of a pain and just collapsed.

“He loved me dearly and would tell people all the time. I know he thought the world of us.”

He had three children, Laurajade, 22, Jack, 21, and Conor, 18, who are all at university.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police confirmed his death was not being treated as suspicious.

Prof Keavney added that older men were more likely to die from a sudden heart attack caused by undiagnosed coronary heart disease.

“In the context of Christmas parties there are other aspects of advice that are important like not to overindulge in alcohol and make sure you remain hydrated,” he said.

“Don’t put yourself under more physiological stress than you need to be.”

Boris Johnson amused delegates at the Conservative Party Conference by telling them he and David Cameron had “danced Gangnam Style the other day”, while the artist Anish Kapoor, whose Orbit sculpture is a key feature of the Olympic Park, recorded a version.

By Tom Rowley Telegraph.co.uk