'I'm forever grateful' - Voice star's life-saving heart op

A WELSH singer-songwriter who underwent life-saving open heart surgery has described the cardiology team who operated on him as "magical superheroes"

- ROBERT DALLING

Gary Ryland, who is fondly known as Ragsy, was diagnosed with hereditary heart disease and was admitted to the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) in Cardiff on March 28 for a double heart bypass.

The wild-haired rocker from Aberdare, who appeared on talent show The Voice and was mentored by Sir Tom Jones, admitted he was petrified in the moments before being wheeled into theatre.

But the 46-year-old said the kindness, compassion and calmness of the hospital staff - from the surgeons to the porters helped him through the ordeal.

"Honestly, those guys at the University Hospital of Wales are magical superheroes," he said.

"Everybody that I met [in UHW] throughout the whole thing was amazing. They saved my life and I will be forever grateful."

Ragsy, whose late father suffered his first heart attack at the age of 21, said he first noticed something was wrong with his own health when he began getting out of breath more easily than usual.