TV chef talks about the diet that saved her life

Sally Bee suffered five heart attacks and shouldn't have survived, she believes her lifestyle saved her. Catherine Scott reports.

Twelve years ago mum of three Sally Bee suffered a devastating series of heart attacks. She was 36.

“I was with the children at a birthday party when everything changed,” recalls Sally now 48.

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“One moment, life was as it should be: we were happy, content and secure. But within a breath, my whole life turned upside down, never to be the same again.”

Sally Bee with her husband Dogan who was told by doctors to say goodbye to his wifeSally Bee with her husband Dogan who was told by doctors to say goodbye to his wife
Sally Bee with her husband Dogan who was told by doctors to say goodbye to his wife

Her heart was so damaged that doctors told her husband to say his goodbyes as there was little they could do for her,

But this determined woman was not ready to die and that day in hospital she pledged to do everything she could to prolong her life and see her children grow up.

“I was filled with an all consuming need, desire and passion not to let myself die. I can’t put into words how strong the feeling was. It was this surge of emotion that literally saved my life. It must have been all about the people that I love. It was instinctive and I decided there and then that I would never, ever give up breathing. I had so much to live for.”

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Once out of hospital she started researching healthy living and wellbeing. She banned processed food, cut down on carbohydrate and increased her exercise.

Sally Bee now passes on herlife-saving philosophy through her cookery books and appear on ITV's The Lorraine ShowSally Bee now passes on herlife-saving philosophy through her cookery books and appear on ITV's The Lorraine Show
Sally Bee now passes on herlife-saving philosophy through her cookery books and appear on ITV's The Lorraine Show

Her health gradually improved and she decided she wanted to pass he knowledge onto others,

“I’d worked in television and media before I married Dogan and had the children. I felt I needed to get back to work and to spread my message.

“But it had to be something worthwhile to make me leave the house and my children. It had to be something I was passionate about.

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In 2008, Sally wrote her first cookery book, The Secret Ingredient. Michelle Obama famously bought six copies and the publicity landed her a role as healthy eating guru and resident chef on ITV’s The Lorraine Show.

Sally Bee with her husband Dogan who was told by doctors to say goodbye to his wifeSally Bee with her husband Dogan who was told by doctors to say goodbye to his wife
Sally Bee with her husband Dogan who was told by doctors to say goodbye to his wife

During this time she heard about Leeds-based national charity Heart research UK set up by Yorkshire heart surgeon David Watson 50 years ago.

“I love the way they work - they are a national local charity,” she says. “I approached them and said I wanted to do something for them.”

For 12 years Sally’s health improved and she dared to start thinking about the future rather than living day to day.

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“During the years since my heart attacks, the emotional rollercoaster had calmed and life was on an even keel. It had taken me years of ‘working on myself’ to reach a point of calmness where I didn’t let my fear of another heart attack rule my life.

Sally Bee now passes on herlife-saving philosophy through her cookery books and appear on ITV's The Lorraine ShowSally Bee now passes on herlife-saving philosophy through her cookery books and appear on ITV's The Lorraine Show
Sally Bee now passes on herlife-saving philosophy through her cookery books and appear on ITV's The Lorraine Show

“I actually believed I had a future. Something that evaded me for the first few years after my heart attacks.”

But last year, despite all her efforts, Sally’s worst fears were realised and she suffered two more heart attacks. The news devastated her.

“ I’d worked so hard to build up my strength both physically and emotionally and within a day, I felt that all my hard work and determination from the past 12 years had been pushed aside.”

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For three days she refused to even let the nurses open the curtains round her bed.

“I didn’t want to see anyone, talk to anyone, think about anyone. I hated the world for doing this to me,” recalls Sally. She and Dogan were also faced with having to tell their children Tarik, 18, Kazim, 15, and Lela, 13.

On the third day she allowed the nurses to open her curtain and she looked around the ward.

“There was a gravely ill man in the bed next to me and I realised that it wasn’t likely that he was going to make it home,” she say. “I realised that I wasn’t dead and that I was going to go home despite everything that had happened to me. My 12 years of hard work hadn’t been wasted, they were the reason that I had survived the unsurvivable.

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“As before, but this time more so, I understood that my health was down entirely to my food, my fitness, my thoughts, my movement and me. They all needed to work together to get my life back.”

Now Sally’s passion is passing this life-saving information onto others. She has just written her sixth book Beelicious - Your Journal to Wellness - which is due out on June 20 with a forward from Lorraine Kelly. She also has a numbe rof online self-help videos.

Beelicious is what Sally calls the holistic philosophy for the way she lives her life. Mind, body, spirit, wellness, nutrition all working in balance for a healthier, stronger you.

The book features an easy to use personal wellness diary, daily positive messages from Sally, 50 seasonal recipes that are fad free, not fat free, goal planning, healthy habit reminders and mindset coaching.

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“Food, thought and movement must all work together to achieve a healthier and happier life today and tomorrow,” says Sally. “The journal allows you to approach each new day with a positive thought and to remind yourselves of the positive things and the practical such as how many glasses of water you have drunk that day. I live my life day-by-day. That approach is born from my own life and death experiences. By writing down what is on your ‘wellbeing list’, you remember to remember what you forgot. Usually yourself!

“It’s not just about food. It starts with food and includes being aware of your thoughts and attitude to life. We can all make big plans and reach for the stars, but that can only happen when you deal with the small steps every day and do the best you can.”

Sally Bee is an ambassador for Leeds-based national charity Heart Research UK. A small percentage of the profits of every copy of Beelicious sold will go to the charity. Founded in 1967 by heart surgeon, David Watson to make heart surgery safer, originally the National Heart Research Fund, its name changed to Heart Research UK in 2005. David Watson was working as a surgeon at Killiingbeck Hospital Leeds and his charity funded six of the first heart heart transplants. Sally is working with Heart Research UK to put together a television programme about their work hopefully due to be screened next year. Heart Research UK Chief Executive Barbara Harpham said: “Sally is a wonderful ambassador, she always mentions Heart Research UK and has helped open many doors for us and is always there when we need her, from various fundraising events to giving healthy lifestyle advice. Sally has overcome an awful lot and is truly an inspiration to others

Sally’s book Beelicious – Your Journal to Wellness is available via www.sallybee.com

For more on Heart Research UK visit heartresearch.org.uk.