When actress Elaine Rhoades spent the day repeatedly filming a goodbye scene with her son on her character’s deathbed, she never expected the emotional stress would have an impact on her personal life.
But the next morning the mother-of-four from Epsom in Surrey, was rushed to hospital in an ambulance with a life threatening condition known as ‘broken heart syndrome.’
The condition, which causes the heart to stop beating is often caused by someone suffering a period of intense stress or grief.
It can be fatal because the syndrome can lead to heart attacks.
Ms Rhoades spent five days in intensive care and had to have blood thinning treatment before she was well enough to leave.
‘It’s very odd why it should happen,’ Ms Rhoades told the Sunday Mirror.
‘They said it was like I’d had a major trauma or massive shock. Doctors can’t really explain it.’
The 53-year-old had been filming scenes for C.O.O.L.I.O in which she plays a gangster’s mother.
She appears in the film alongside Kellie Maloney, who plays herself as a boxing promoter.
Ms Maloney filmed the scenes before she started sex change surgery.
Ms Rhoades said she had tried to get into the emotion of the scene by imagining how she would feel if she was forced to say goodbye to her own son.
