Shane Warne‘s legacy is living on in Aussie men, with one friend revealing how the late Aussie cricket legend’s tragic death actually saved his life.
On the one-year anniversary of Warne’s shock death aged 52 following a suspected heart attack, his friend Philip Dalidakis spoke to Today about the “life-saving” heart check-up he did because of the Spin King.
“I was literally a walking talking time bomb,” Dalidakis, 46, told Today this morning. “If Warnie had not have died – this is no exaggeration – I probably would not be here having this interview with you today.”
Watch the video above.
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Dalidakis explained he was having lunch with friends shortly after Warne’s death on March 4, 2022, when one of his friends had suggested they all get health check-ups considering the athlete’s suspected cause of death.
According to Dalidakis, a heart check wasn’t on his radar for another 20 years, but going to get one when he did is what he says saved his life.
After going to see a cardiologist, Dalidakis had found that his left artery was blocked by 95 per cent, despite having “zero pain, zero symptoms, no shortness of breath.”
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He shared that since the discovery, he’s “gotten his act together” and gone to the gym, losing six to seven centimetres off his waist, but only after facing bouts of shock and depression at the sudden news.
Dalidakis urges men to get themselves checked sooner rather than later, saying: “You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to be gained… It can happen at any time, any age, at any stage.”
Australia has seen a 25 per cent increase in men’s heart checks since Warne’s death, but Dalidakis says that women should be cautious too.
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“It’s not just an issue for men, more women die from heart disease than they do from breast cancer, so it’s a really serious issue for women as well,” he says.
Dalidakis also relayed a heartfelt message to Warne’s children, letting them know about their father’s legacy.
Though Dalidakis admits that he “didn’t know Warnie really well” but had “met him a couple of times through work”, he would like to thank his children, Brooke, 25, Jackson, 23, and Summer, 21, and family.
“I just want you to know my appreciation for his tragic passing and for my children, for me being around absolutely [demonstrates his legacy] and they can be proud that in his passing,” Dalidakis says.
“The legacy of having this conversation in the first instance, having a 25 per cent increase in heart checks for men is really a fantastic legacy to leave.”
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