Brian May heart

Anita Dobson was surprised when Brian May had a heart attack credit:Bang Showbiz
Anita Dobson was surprised when Brian May had a heart attack credit:Bang Showbiz

Brian May's wife thought he had been "overdoing it" with exercise when he had a heart attack.

The Queen guitarist was taken ill in May 2020 and Anita Dobson recalled being shocked when her husband was hospitalised and told he was "very near death".

Speaking to the Daily Mail newspaper columnist Richard Eden, Anita recalled: "He said, 'Babe, I think I'm having a heart attack.' I said, 'No, you've been exercising and you've overdone it.'

"He replied, 'No, this is different'. "

The 73-year-old actress cared for the 'We are the Champions ' rocker during his recovery but she admitted her nursing persona could have been better.

She said: "I was the most miserable nurse you've ever seen!"

The former 'EastEnders' star previously admitted there was a point she was worried she'd be Brian's carer forever, with her fears made worse due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.

She said: "Lockdown was dreadful, a nightmare that I wish never to go back into.

"Even when Brian started to get better there was this awful feeling of is this my life now?"

Brian previously revealed via Instagram that he suffered a heart attack after injuring himself in his garden..

The 74-year-old musician was taken to hospital after tearing a muscle while gardening - but his health situation turned out to be much more serious than he initially thought.

In an Instagram video, he explained: "I was shocked, I thought I was a healthy guy. Everyone says I've got a great blood pressure and I keep fit, I bike, good diet.

"I had - in the middle of the whole saga of the painful backside - I had a small heart attack. I say small, it's not something that did me any harm. It was about 40 minutes of pain in the chest and tightness."