This Morning presenter Matt Johnson hasn’t let asthma beat him

Welsh Daytime TV presenter Matt Johnson has highlighted the seriousness of asthma and the importance of using asthma medicine after speaking to Wales Online, describing how he almost collapsed ‘in the middle of nowhere’ whilst out running.

“I had to stop because my chest was so, so tight,” Matt revealed. “I was halfway through my run, in the middle of nowhere and I really panicked. The more I panicked, the more it got worse. In the end I managed to calm down a bit and eventually it got better.”

However, it is not only physical exertion that triggers the 30-year-olds asthma symptoms; the handsome presenter from Caerphilly even admits that he sometimes struggles when on screen to millions around the UK.

Recently, a comical comment from fellow presenter Eamonn Holmes particularly left the Welshman gasping for air. Matt commented: “Weirdly, when I laugh really hard I get a very tight chest. The other day Eamonn Holmes made me laugh on the This Morning set because I tried to get him to join a nudist beach club and he gave me a very good reason why he shouldn’t. I laughed out loud and my chest got very tight.”

Interestingly, and a subject Medical Specialists Pharmacy have previously touched upon, Matt used to be almost embarrassed to get out his inhalers to use and says the condition was ‘uncool’ in school. His experience whilst out running and without his medication has left him taking his condition a lot more seriously however.

He says: “I can happily take my inhaler anywhere in front of anyone and always have a puff before a live broadcast just in case. I keep on top of my asthma now because the thought of having a severe attack is terrifying.”

Asthma is a long-term respiratory disorder, where the air passages within the lungs unexpectedly become inflamed, narrowed, and swollen. This then prevents airflow into and out of the lungs. Attacks occur often in response to an allergen, cold air, exercise, or emotional stress.

It is thought that there are 5.4 million people in the UK currently receiving treatment for asthma. This equates to 8.8% of the total population (62 million estimated in 2010). In addition, it affects a staggering 300 million people worldwide.

From this total, there are a huge number of celebrity figures who have asthma and in recent times, many have spoken out about their experiences battling the condition in order to raise awareness.  In February, Olympic hero Laura Trott gave a detailed account on her asthma and there are many other celebrities with asthma such as David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Paula Radcliffe, Bradley Wiggins and Rebecca Adlington. All of these famous faces did not let asthma overcome them, and with proper management of their symptoms and making sure to use their inhalers, all achieved their goals without letting asthma hold them back.

You don’t need to take our word for it though, Matt continued: “When I grew up asthma always seemed like something that was a geeky, uncool thing to have. So if me running around the place shows people that I’ve got asthma but life goes on, then that’s wonderful. I remember at school people thought it was an uncool thing to have. Some kids suffer with it really badly but it’s not much fun to have it made into a joke. Some people are so disabled by their asthma, physically but mentally. Many people think, oh I can’t take part in exercise – I’ve got asthma. But you only have to look at someone like Bradley Wiggins or Laura Trott who have asthma but went onto win Olympic gold medals at London 2012. When you think of people with asthma like me from daytime TV, world class athletes and someone like One Direction’s Harry Styles , who was seen taking his pump at the side of the stage and then carrying on with a huge concert, then surely that’s inspirational enough.”

The presenter is due to host charity Asthma UK’s ‘Breathtaking Ball’ in London on Friday to raise awareness and funds for asthma.

Olympic hero Laura Trott speaks on her fight against asthma

For those who have already read the extensive article Medical Specialists Pharmacy ran, discussing living with asthma and listing some of the many celebrities with asthma, it could prove surprising and at the same time inspirational to learn that the lung condition can be properly managed and be an obstacle in achieving your dreams.

If some of these aspirations happen to be of a sporting nature, you could be forgiven for thinking that a respiratory condition such as asthma that causes difficulty, wheezing, and coughing—can be an impossible hindrance.


In fact, exercise is one of many triggers for asthma, but professional sportsman and asthmatics such as David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Paula Radcliffe and Rebecca Adlington have demonstrated that it is still possible to succeed.

Added to that list is double Olympic gold medallist Laura Trott, who at a mere 20 years of age, won gold medals in both the Team Pursuit and Omnium events at the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

This week, Laura gave a detailed and moving account into her asthma diagnosis and how she has managed to not only cope, but fight her way to Olympic gold – before the age of 21! In addition, she is currently giving her support to the ‘big up your chest’ campaign – Asthma UK’s online resource for asthma sufferers aged between 16 and 25.

She says: “Although I was born early by caesarean, when I arrived in the world, everything seemed fine. But when I didn’t start crying, the doctors quickly realised that something wasn’t quite right. I wasn’t breathing and I was making this croaking sound. No air was getting through so they rushed me to intensive care before Mum even had a chance to hold me. They pulled my dad aside and told him that I’d been born with a collapsed lung and that they needed to operate to save my life.

I went into the operating theatre immediately and they inserted a tube underneath my left underarm – you can still see the zigzag scar today – which inflated the lung that wasn’t working back up to a safer level. Once this had happened, I remained in intensive care for four weeks and after a total of six weeks I was allowed home.

But from the age of two I developed this perpetual cold. I literally had a chest infection for four years, a permanent wheeze on my chest. But asthma can’t be officially diagnosed until a child is six.

By that point I was at junior school and doing PE but I was always becoming very easily out of breath. So I was taken for this test where my breath was measured on a ventilator before and after running down the street for four minutes.

Asthma was finally confirmed and from then on I had to use an inhaler.

The first one I had was this enormous great plastic thing, which I had to lug around in my rucksack every day. I had to take two puffs in the morning, two at lunchtime and two in the evening and I thought it was the most annoying thing in the world.

But after a couple of weeks, I got used to it and gradually realised that asthma wasn’t such a big deal and I certainly didn’t let it get in the way of me doing sport.

Until the age of about 12, I’d always preferred trampolining to cycling but then one day when I was learning how to do a double back somersault I passed out in the air and came down like a sack of potatoes.

My coach was standing underneath me thinking, ‘Oh my God, I need to catch a dead body weight here’. I’d got so dehydrated that I had passed out! Back home I passed out again, narrowly missing hitting my head on the fireplace.

I had loads of tests done afterwards and ultimately they told me that I would have to quit trampolining because it was just too dangerous for me.

So, despite the asthma, I threw myself into cycling, which I’d started at the same time my mum had decided she’d wanted to lose weight – she lost five stone in 18 months! Seeing her determination, I desperately wanted to follow in her footsteps. And if I always had my inhaler with me, my asthma wasn’t really an issue.

That said, the two occasions when I have had a full-on asthma attack – both in the same week when I was 17 and had just finished my A levels – were terrifying.

I was lying on a sofa round at one of my friend’s houses and suddenly there was just no air coming through to my lungs. I was trying to take deep breaths but I just couldn’t breathe and my chest was absolutely killing me. I was gasping for air and I panicked, it felt like I was going to suffocate. I remember crying until my friend got my inhaler and then two or three minutes later I was back to normal again. It happened again the week after that, but it hasn’t happened since.

I’ve heard stories of some people having attacks each week so I’m always extra careful to have my inhaler with me. And apart from suffering ‘pursuiter’s cough’ more painfully than others, which all elite cyclists get after a really full-on race, I don’t let it affect my performance.

What is still a problem, although not quite as serious as it used to be, is my acid reflux.

I know, I sound like a walking health disaster but basically the acid levels in my stomach are too high so if you imagine your tummy’s like a balloon full of food, after a particularly strenuous exertion like a pursuit, or the Omnium event at the Olympics, the acid in my stomach rises and there’s nowhere for the food to go except out.

I regularly vomit after races and if I’m not sick I can taste the rank bile in my mouth. I take tablets to reduce the acid levels, which help a bit, but you can’t take them continually so it’s an on-going issue…Some people might look at the fact they’ve got asthma and acid reflux and let it get in the way of what they want to do, but you can’t have everything, can you? And at least I’ve got fast legs!

It does seem crazy what’s happened. I had such a bad start; I reckon I deserved a break somewhere. I never thought I’d be winning gold medals though. After my taste of success at the London Olympics, there’s no chance that I’m going to let asthma get in my way.

I’ve had it for 18 years so I’m certainly not going to let it affect me now, no way.”

Stephen Fry’s asthma worries at Christmas

Christmas day is now only four days away and when it comes to health, most people will be primarily concerned with how much stodgy food they are indulging in for fear of adding an extra few inches to their waistline.

Perhaps surprisingly though, there are another group of people besides the weight-conscious who should possibly be concerned at Christmas time – asthma sufferers.

Comedian, actor and TV Personality Stephen Fry is one of many celebrity asthma sufferers and Fry will be completely avoiding any festive bubbly with worry that even one drink could trigger an asthma attack and kill him.

He says: “Christmas parties are generally a lot of fun but I have to make sure that I avoid champagne because it triggers my asthma symptoms. People don’t always realise that there are all sorts of different triggers for asthma, including plenty of things that are in abundance during the festive season. Champagne can leave a lot of people feeling poorly the next day but for me it is far more serious because it could trigger a potentially fatal asthma attack.”

Fry’s comments came in the wake of the charity Asthma UK warning that approximately 200 people in Britain will require hospital treatment on Christmas day due to their asthma symptoms. Fry himself experienced a scary situation last month at a film screening when he was struck down with an asthma attack, and carelessly did not have a blue reliever inhaler in his possession, such as the widely used Ventolin Evohaler.

The 55-year old comedian suffered with breathing difficulties and had to resort to asking surrounding guests if anybody had an inhaler he could use. Luckily for him, other asthma sufferers at the screening were not so careless and did indeed have their inhalers. Fry later posted a tweet on his Twitter account saying: “Just had a surprise asthma attack at a screening. Got up to ask if anyone had an inhaler, so many hands went up. Saved.”

As the UK are fully in the midst of a bitterly cold winter, the decreasing temperatures alone are just one risk factor for triggering an asthma attack and therefore people are advised to wrap up warm.
However, as the cold winter months mean more people spend larger amounts of time indoors; this in itself can create a whole new set of potential asthma triggers that are just waiting to cause problems for sufferers.



For example, it might sound an exciting prospect giving your child a new pet puppy or kitten for Christmas, but if your child is an asthma sufferer then this could be disastrous for their lungs. These animals shed a high volume of something called ‘dander’ – a combination of dead skin cells and hair (or feathers) that can bring on asthma attacks and allergic reactions in those who are sensitive to these allergens. It if is determined by a doctor that your child’s allergies or asthma is worsened by dander then you may have to find an alternative home for your pet.

There are many other factors to consider though at Christmas from an indoor perspective.  Here are some important tips to reduce the risk of an asthma attack:

. Don’t use artificial snow. Although it looks festive enough and is aesthetically pleasing, fake snow straight from a can may unfortunately trigger asthma attacks. Perfumes and scented candles should also be avoided where possible.
. Don’t stress. The process of buying and wrapping presents can be a stressing time, and this isn’t even adding on the time needed to see friends, family and loved ones. Plan your time in advance in order to relax and not let stress get the better of you as this is one of many asthma triggers.
. Clean your Christmas tree and decorations. Artificial trees that have been stored in a dusty attic or damp basement through the year will gather dust and mould spores – both common asthma triggers. The process of unpacking the artificial tree out of its box can stir up all the allergens and create problems. A real tree – bought as close to Christmas as possible, is advised. However we recommend that both real and artificial trees should be taken outside and thoroughly shaken prior to any decorations being put on the tree. If your decorations have not been stored in a sealed bag, they should also be wiped down to eradicate dust and mould.
. Be careful about alcohol intake. Some asthma sufferers find that any alcoholic drink can erupt symptoms in them, whilst other such as Stephen Fry, find that they could only have symptoms after consuming a particular drink. Learn from Fry’s potentially-deadly mistake and have your reliever inhaler on you at all times.

Medical Specialists Pharmacy hopes we have made you more aware about the different factors to consider at Christmas if you are suffering from asthma or allergy problems. We do not want anybody’s Christmas to be effected through health issues and we hope you take our advice seriously.
In addition, we advise heading to our ‘Asthma and Allergies’ section of our website where we have a massive range of different inhalers and medications to ease your symptoms. In fact, many asthma suffers will also benefit from taking an anti-histamine such as Loratadine on a regular basis, to act as a precaution to allergic and asthmatic reactions, even throughout the winter months.