Tamzin Outhwaite feared 'heart attack' filming new BBC show after mum’s sudden death

express.co.uk:

EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite has taken on a new challenge this year, as viewers will watch her compete in new BBC show Freeze The Fear.

However, the actress shared that early on during filming, she was scared of suffering a heart attack like her mum had years before.Tamzin, 51, is best known for playing the popular character Mel Owen on the BBC soap EastEnders.

In Freeze The Fear, fans will have a chance to watch the actress quite literally take the plunge, as one of their first tasks involved jumping feet-first into a frozen lake.The show explores the wellbeing ideas of Dutch motivational speaker and cold-water therapy advocate Wim Hof, who will put the celebrities through their paces in a series of chilling challenges.

Within the first few minutes of being filmed in the sub-zero temperatures of northern Italy, Tamzin admitted that the scene conjured up some painful memories.She revealed that her mum, Anna Santis, died suddenly at the age of 67 back in 2018.Fears about Anna’s unexpected heart attack set in ahead of Tamzin dropping below eight inches of ice and entering the freezing water – which can cause hypothermia to set in within minutes.“My mum died of a very sudden heart attack and, in my head, jumping into ice-cold water could trigger something like that,” Tamzin explained. “My main fear was, ‘Am I going to have a heart attack when I hit the water?’”The soap star went on to share how she felt her mum was with her at every part of her journey, helping her to overcome each new hurdle. “I trusted everyone with my emotions,” she said of the Freeze The Fear challenge.“I just felt like I’d had a meditation and I definitely felt a sense that my mum was around, which was a lovely, warm feeling.”Iceman Wim also helped.