A personal trainer with an inherited condition has taken part in a day of action at the House of Commons after losing both parents to heart problems.

Emma Print, from Witham, is support the charity HEART UK after being diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), an inherited condition causing exceptionally high cholesterol levels.

Ms Print, 38, tragically lost her mother in 2013, aged 66, to a heart attack and her father to heart disease.

She was tested for the condition, which usually has no symptoms until a sudden cardiac arrest, at the request of her GP.

Ms Print said: “Once you are diagnosed and treated, you can continue to live a normal life.

“The support available through HEART UK and the lipid clinics is invaluable. Unfortunately awareness of the condition is generally poor in Britain.

“After receiving a high cholesterol result from a routine test in Italy during my twenties, I was refused a test in the UK because of my age, sex and weight.

“It took the death of my mother for my test to be approved.”

HEART UK’s campaign aims to raise awareness of the dangers of high cholesterol and FH.

The Day of Action featured a reception at the House of Commons, where HEART UK ambassadors met with their MPs and highlighted the work of the charity.

HEART UK is now calling for the Government to develop a screening programme to improve the identification and diagnosis of people with FH.

Ms Print said: “After I was diagnosed with FH, the doctors doubled my dose of statins and I have an annual blood test to ensure nothing has changed.

“Getting diagnosed is really important as there is a 50 per cent chance of me passing it on.

“FH has little to do with your body size or your lifestyle. I am a personal trainer and eat healthily, it can affect anyone.”