Leila McKinnon on husband David Gyngell’s heart attack

‘He came back from a boot camp looking grey’: Leila McKinnon reveals the terrifying moment she knew something was wrong… as husband David Gyngell suffers a heart attack

Former Channel Nine boss David Gyngell suffered a heart attack last week.

The 54-year-old was rushed to hospital by journalist wife Leila McKinnon, after she noticed him looking ‘a little grey’ upon returning to their Byron Bay home, following a boot camp session with tennis star Pat Rafter.

Friends told Sydney Morning Herald’s Private Sydney on Saturday, that Leila’s quick response is what saved him.

‘He came back from a macho boot camp looking grey’: Leila McKinnon (pictured), 47, revealed to the Sydney Morning Herald’s Private Sydney on Saturday, the moment she knew something was wrong… as husband David Gyngell suffered a heart attack

‘He came home from this super macho crazy boot camp with his mates looking a little grey and complaining of the classic heart attack symptoms, such as pressure on the chest and a tingly arm,’ Leila told Private Sydney.

‘I gave him the choice of an ambulance or hospital. He didn’t put up much resistance so I knew he was worried too,’ the 47-year-old added. 

Doctors at Gold Coast’s John Flynn Hospital inserted stents to improve blood flow, after discovering a 90 per cent blockage in two arteries.    

David told The Courier Mail earlier this week that he ‘could have died’.

Concerned: 'I gave him the choice of an ambulance or hospital. He didn't put up much resistance so I knew he was worried too,' Leila said of David (pictured in August 2015), 54

Concerned: ‘I gave him the choice of an ambulance or hospital. He didn’t put up much resistance so I knew he was worried too,’ Leila said of David (pictured in August 2015), 54

‘If I hadn’t been fit, I could have died,’ he said. 

‘I was training like I do most days. Then I felt tired and a bit weird but still went to breakfast with the boys.’

The retired TV executive added that he’s feeling much better after being released from hospital last Saturday.  

Family: David had stents inserted to clear a 90 per cent blockage in two arteries. The couple, who wed in 2004, are pictured with their children: son Edmund, seven, and daughter Gwendolen, five

Family: David had stents inserted to clear a 90 per cent blockage in two arteries. The couple, who wed in 2004, are pictured with their children: son Edmund, seven, and daughter Gwendolen, five 

Leila married David, the son of the late legendary Channel Nine boss Bruce Gyngell, in 2004.

They share two children: son Edmund, seven, and daughter Gwendolen, five. 

The couple sold their $8.4million Dover Heights home in Sydney in December last year, and are now based on the Byron Bay hinterland.    

They also own a renovated investment property in Sydney’s Bondi Beach. 

Beach lifestyle: The couple sold their $8.4million Dover Heights home in Sydney in December last year, and are now based on the Byron Bay hinterland

Beach lifestyle: The couple sold their $8.4million Dover Heights home in Sydney in December last year, and are now based on the Byron Bay hinterland