Lily Allen's Abnormal Heart

Smile singer Lily Allen reveals that her dramatic weight loss is a result of an intense new fitness regime after being diagnosed with a heart murmur about three months ago.

Heart murmurs can be detected by a rushing or rumbling sound from the heart.

This usually indicates abnormal passages in or around the heart or a malfunctioning or leaking valve – however, the majority of heart murmurs are relatively harmless.

Allen told Grazia magazine:

“I found out I had a heart murmur about three months ago. I had switched doctors and just went for a routine check up, which is when they discovered I had this irregular murmur.

I have been asthmatic all my life, but this was really quite scary. When they asked me how much exercise I did, I had to be honest and say hardly any.

I make sure I work out three times a week now, and I don’t hold back. It’s a hardcore routine and I’m usually in the gym for at least an hour-and-a-half.

I used to love nothing more than sitting in front of the telly with two packets of Ginger Nuts and two bags of milk bottle sweets – and I’d devour the lot. But this heart thing has made me cut back on all that kind of crap. I now find that, because I am looking after myself, I don’t feel like eating the bad stuff so much.

I really want to stress that I haven’t done this because I want to become some skinny minnie – I will never be like that. I just like being more toned, it has made me really happy and I know I will never be super skinny because I would never be happy.

I was going pretty crazy back in the summer, drinking way too much and partying loads. But now I don’t want to drink so much, I’ve been cutting back. I should also give up smoking, but haven’t quite managed that yet.”