Emergency operation for radio star

Aug 8 2007

BBC WM presenter Ed Doolan was in hospital today for an emergency operation to fit a pacemaker - on the day of his 20th wedding anniversary.

Ed, who turned 66 on July 20, fell ill after attending a charity dinner in Coventry on Sunday night.

He broadcast his morning show on WM as usual on Monday and Tuesday, but was taken into Edgbaston's Priory Hospital today for the op.

Doctors decided to act after his pulse had dropped to a dangerously low level.

He had a triple bypass in December 1987, when he famously dictated his Birmingham Mail column from his bed.

Ed has since won a Sony Gold Award, been awarded the MBE and been inducted into the Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.

His wife Christine said today: "Luckily Ed had a routine appointment at Heartlands yesterday afternoon and while he was there they gave him an ECG.

"Because they were snowed under with emergency cases, and realised he had private cover, they arranged for him to be transferred to the Priory where he had his bypass four months after we got married.

"The prognosis with these things is that he will be in hospital for at least a day and then be much better afterwards. His pulse had gone down to about 40 so we've been very lucky that he's been lined up to have a pacemaker fitted today."

Despite everything, Christine, who is Ed's third wife, received a bunch of anniversary flowers from him at 10am today when they were delivered by courier.

Jimmy Franks has been lined up to stand in for Ed for the rest of this week. Contingency plans have also been made for next week.