Rachel Riley spoke out about the devastating loss of her friend aged 34 (Image: GETTY)
is urging people to be aware of their numbers when it comes to basic health knowledge, following the loss of her friend.
The host’s pal was just 34 when he died from an undetected heart condition, despite being “super fit” and having no obvious signs of poor health.
Following this, 39-year-old Rachel said it’s important to “know what is going on underneath the skin” and “take control” of your health from a young age, to avoid any risk.
The mathematician’s warning comes after research from Bupa Health Clinics revealed an alarming health knowledge gap in the UK.
According to data, half of UK adults don’t know their own weight, while three quarters are unaware of their blood pressure reading.
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Rachel Riley with her husband Pasha Kovalev and their two children (Image: GETTY)
Over half (57 per cent) of those surveyed also said they worry about the potential of having or developing a specific health condition.
Rachel said: “Some of the most important numbers in our lives are our health measures, and I realised I wasn’t paying enough attention to those.
“Having children has made me think differently about my long-term health, and after losing a friend to an undetected heart condition at a young age, I understood that we can’t assume anything.”
The mother-of-two, married to ex star Pasha Kovalev, said her friend was “as fit as can be” and therefore was unaware of his underlying problem.
She shared: “I think when you’re young, you just don’t think about it [health] as much, but yeah, I mean we’ll never know [what could’ve been] if he would’ve gone [for a check].
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“There’s a place called CRY that specifically checks [cardiac health] for young people, other than that, you just don’t know where to go to get an MOT on your body. So, you’re just kind of guessing and hoping for the best.
“But, if there’s anything you can do that can give you a bit of help, especially when you’ve got kids and there’s people relying on you, it’s good to do it.”
In support of Bupa’s Knowledge Is Power campaign, Rachel said experiencing her own gut issues and seeing Davina McCall’s recent health discovery also played a factor in her undergoing her own health assessment.
Last year, The Masked Singer panellist was told she had a rare type of benign tumour called a colloid cyst, at 14mm wide, during a chance health scan.
The presenter seemingly had no symptoms to suggest anything was wrong and has since had it removed. She has since urged those over 40 to go for their free health checks, offered by the NHS.
Rachel added of her own health: “I’ve had gut issues since I was young and it comes and goes, but I know with those kind of issues particularly, prevention is better than any cure or medication afterwards.
“I just wanted to get proper advice on that, especially these days there’s so much online, you don’t know if you can trust it, with social media and influencers.
“It’s just hard to know where to go to for good advice, so to have someone for just some advice they can give me, it’s a bit more reassuring.”
Dr John Field, Associate Clinical Director at Bupa Health Clinics said: “Empowering individuals with knowledge is the first step towards a healthier and happier nation.
“By knowing and fully understanding key health markers, people can begin to make more informed decisions and take proactive steps to improve their physical and mental wellbeing.”