Aussie swimming legend Libby Trickett, 41, reveals she had a rare type of heart attack that affects middle-aged and pregnant women
Four-time Olympic gold winner Libby Trickett has dropped the bombshell news that she suffered a heart attack almost a year ago.
The 41-year-old swimming legend made the awful reveal on Instagram in an emotional video.
‘So this is a bit of a random one,’ Trickett said as she started the clip.
‘Turns out in June last year – I would have been about two months postpartum after Archie – I actually had what turns out to be a type of heart attack.
‘It’s a specific type of heart attack, it’s called a spontaneous coronary artery dissection, so a SCAD.
‘It’s not caused by kind of the normal things that cause heart attacks, like build-up of plaque and things like that, but basically a tear that happens in the artery wall in the heart.
Libby Trickett (pictured in hospital recently) suffered a heart attack in June last year – and has revealed it will affect her for the rest of her life
The Olympic great (pictured outside hospital with two of her daughters) was hit by a spontaneous coronary artery dissection
‘It kind of has lots of different implications which, you know, I continue to kind of work through and discover.
‘It’s a really kind of frustrating condition, as well, because not a lot of research has been put into it.
‘It almost exclusively happens to women under the age of 50, it commonly happens in pregnant women or women who have recently given birth.’
Trickett added that there is a chance of the problem reccurring and she will probably be on medication for the rest of her life as a result.
The after-effects will also result in big lifestyle changes.
‘I can do moderate cardio exercise but I can’t lift heavy weights,’ she said.
‘There’s question marks about [going on] rollercoasters and all different types of things.
‘I can’t have ADHD medication, which is probably the thing that I’m saddest about.
Trickett was diagnosed with ADHD in August 2024 and her shock heart attack means she is no longer able to take her medication for the condition
The awful health setback struck Trickett soon after she welcomed her fifth child, Archie, with her husband Luke last year (pictured together)
‘So it’s been a lot.’
In a later update on the platform, the mother of five revealed she was also hospitalised due to a back problem recently.
‘I was in extraordinary pain, it required a steroid injection, two nights in hospital and lots of pain medication,’ she said, adding that she has had ‘more blood tests than I can count’ due to the heart attack, as well as MRIs, CT scans and ECGs (electrocardiograms).
Trickett revealed she was expecting her fifth child, Archie, in November 2024, telling her followers that she and husband Luke were ‘thrilled’ and ‘terrified’ at the news.
That announcement came just 18 months after she and Luke welcomed their fourth child together.
The winner of gold medals at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics revealed her attention deficit news in August last year.
‘This time last year I was diagnosed with ADHD (combined type),’ she wrote.
‘I’m currently unmedicated as when I was diagnosed, I had just fallen pregnant and I’m currently breastfeeding, but certainly open to exploring options in future.
‘It wasn’t a huge surprise, more a confirmation of something that I already knew was likely true.
‘It does explain a lot for me, though, and I feel some comfort in understanding that my brain just works differently and I’m not just “dumb”.’
