A DAD had his life "saved" when his smart watch alerted him to a deadly heart condition.

Fitness fanatic Chris Mint, 30, had no idea he had an irregular heartbeat until the gadget notified him.

2 Chris Mint's £349 Apple watch urged him to visit his doctor after it detected an irregular heartbeat

Sensors in the £349 Apple device pinpointed potentially fatal atrial fibrillation (Afib) and urged him to visit his doctor.

When he did so, GPs told Chris it was “unlikely” he had the condition but doctors gave him a five-minute ECG test which confirmed that he did.

Project manager Chris said: “I’d owned the watch for about two years before it notified me that I had symptoms of Afib. I didn’t have a clue that it was capable of doing that until it just popped up in July.”

He said the doctors testing him were surprised at the ECG result and told him that, but for the watch notifying him, he could have gone on to suffer a stroke or heart attack.

They referred him to specialists who found two leaking heart valves which will need to be corrected in an operation.

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Dad-of-two Chris, of Lincolnshire, added: “Buying the watch was the best money I’ve ever spent. I’m grateful. Really grateful.”

Chris’s wife Tiffany emailed Apple CEO Tim Cook to tell him about the watch’s diagnosis.

He replied: “I’m glad your husband sought treatment and is fine now. Thanks for sharing his story — it inspires us to keep pushing forward.”

2 Apple CEO Tim Cook said the story 'inspired them to keep pushing forward' Credit: Getty Images - Getty

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