Mark Millar, known for being part of the DIY SOS building team, has shared a health update following a triple heart bypass.

The 55-year-old had the open-heart surgery after a heart attack he experienced while cold water swimming in Somerset last year, reports the Mirror.

He shared a video to his Instagram account, revealing the scar on his chest and telling his followers he had returned to cold water swimming for the first time after his operation which he had seven weeks ago.

He captioned the video: “So do happy , I swam like an Irish racing snake , a slightly over weight one that is #swimming #nhs #nurse #clevedonmarinelake Thank you thank you to all the @nhsengland staff who got to this point, life is golden x”.

Shortly after that video, he made another telling people that one of his followers, a healthcare professional “who works in the cardio unit”, had told him he should have waited to go back to swimming after the 12-week post-operation point, so he’s now holding off returning to the water for a few more weeks despite the swim being “amazing”.

After his operation, Millar said he’d been “quiet” on social media after “struggling a bit mentally”, reports the Mirror.

He said: “I've been a bit quiet about my post op recovery, but I'm doing well and healing well, but I've struggled a bit mentally because I feel vulnerable."

He pointed at his scar and said: “I've been open from here to the top of my stomach so I get a bit worried about someone or me knocking it. I'm just about to have my first swim and I am very excited.”

Millar explained to the BBC how he felt as he experienced the heart attack: “It felt like someone was tightening a belt around me. If it was not for my friends and my £15 float, I am not sure if I would be here today.”

The TV star said it felt “like a lifetime” from when the pain started to him returning to the shore while his friends helped him.

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He added: “I was having red flags, everything was wrong.

“The water felt like treacle, I felt absolutely dreadful.”

Millar realised that he couldn’t understand his friends when they were talking to him after getting him to safety. He was rushed to Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) for treatment.