Natalie Barr recalls worst day of her life: "I still get upset”
Natalie Barr has called the day her father died as "the worst day of my life".
The Sunrise newsreader lost her late father, Jim, to a heart attack in 2001, when she was six months pregnant with her first child, Lachlan.
"I was at home after reading the late news when I got a call that my dad died," Barr told News Corp Australia.
"You never forget those things. He's been gone 18 years and I still get upset."
Barr's father died of left ventricular failure at the age of 61 after returning home from a game of golf.
The 50-year-old said her father had been excited about his first grandson.
"He came with me to the ultrasound of my first son, Lachlan, and had never been to one before," she said.
"He took the photo with him and showed his mates at the golf club, telling them 'that's my grandson'.
"My dad could quote the length of my baby and the size of his head — he was so damn excited."
Despite knowing that her dad was a heavy smoker, his death still came as a shock to her.
"We tried to make him stop," said Barr. "I tried to make him stop. It was my one regret."
Heart attack is a serious health issue affecting a large number of Australians. According to the Heart Foundation, 430,000 Australians will experience a heart attack at some point in their lives. A million people aged 30 to 65 are also at high risk of having a heart attack within the next five years.
The Heart Foundation's 2018 study also found that half of Australians who have had a heart attack continue smoking afterwards.
Barr said her father’s fatal heart attack has made her more aware of the importance of looking after herself.
"I've had all the checks," she said. "We need to keep healthy at all ages to prevent heart disease."
She has also jumped behind the News Corp Australia and Heart Foundation call for Medicare-funded heart health checks.
"Anything that raises awareness for heart health is wonderful," she said. "It will give people an excuse to see their doctor. We should have been doing it for years — we need to get people to talk about their hearts.
"Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in Australia and we just don’t hear enough about it."
Experts recommend people aged over 45 (or 35 for individuals who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) to have a heart health check on a regular basis.