Two NI executives, two close calls - one powerful warning
Two of Northern Ireland’s leading business figures have spoken candidly about how cardiovascular disease has severely disrupted their busy careers – and changed their lives.
Manufacturing NI chief executive Stephen Kelly and former Tourism NI chief executive John McGrillen sat together on the British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland’s iconic red bench at Titanic Belfast to share their experiences.
Both men, long associated with high‑pressure leadership roles, found themselves suddenly confronting life‑threatening heart conditions.
Stephen, 54, from Londonderry, suffered a heart attack in March this year while on a short break in Alicante with his wife Carol to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary.
Before that, he believed he was in good health.
“I thought my general health had always been good. I played golf twice a week and went to the gym twice a week," he says.
"But I had a busy life and a bad lifestyle - a poor diet, poor sleep, smoking, high blood pressure and cholesterol. I knew the advice about lifestyle changes, but I thought I was young enough and immune to serious illness.”
During the holiday, Stephen initially dismissed his symptoms as trapped wind or indigestion. When the discomfort persisted, he fainted twice and later collapsed in the shower. Carol called an ambulance, and paramedics confirmed he had suffered a myocardial infarction.
“The key message for me is that none of the things that happened felt like a heart attack,” he says. “I thought a heart attack was someone grabbing their chest and falling to the floor. Mine was indigestion, a cold sweat, and then collapsing.”
Doctors discovered one artery was completely blocked and another partially closed. Stephen underwent two procedures and had five stents fitted.
“I feel very lucky,” he says. “This could have happened while I was alone in a hotel room. Instead, I was with my wife, who got help immediately.”
John McGrillen, 64, from Ballynahinch, had spent a decade leading Tourism NI and was preparing for retirement. He was looking forward to his “swansong” at The Open at Royal Portrush in 2025, followed by a trip to Florence with his wife for their 25th anniversary.
Instead, after a round of golf on Easter Sunday, he found himself in the cardiac unit at the Ulster Hospital. Tests revealed he was at high risk of a heart attack, and seven weeks later he underwent open‑heart surgery.
“I had a pretty normal lifestyle,” he says. “But I have a family history of cardiovascular disease. My dad died of a heart attack at 48. My mum had a triple bypass at 75 and she’s still going strong at 94.”
John recalls experiencing a sudden “whoosh”, sickness, tightness across his chest and brief breathlessness after running to his car.
Although the symptoms passed, he sought medical help because of his family history. An angiogram revealed he needed major intervention.
“The consultant said they could give me four or five stents, but advised a double bypass because of my risk,” he says.
After surgery and cardiac rehabilitation, John returned to Portrush for The Open just eight weeks later. “I feel great now, but it makes you aware of your mortality. I could have been dead. It makes you appreciate every day.”
Stephen and John shared their stories as part of the British Heart Foundation’s Red Benches campaign, marking 65 years of the charity’s work.
Sixty‑five benches have been placed across the UK to honour people living with cardiovascular disease and to create spaces where survivors can talk openly.
Every three minutes, someone in the UK dies from cardiovascular disease. More than 230,000 people in Northern Ireland are living with heart and circulatory conditions. Behind each bench is a real story of survival - made possible by research.
Stephen hopes his experience will raise awareness of symptoms, particularly among men. Every day in Northern Ireland, ten people are admitted to hospital with a heart attack. While survival rates have improved, identifying those at risk remains crucial.
BHF professor Charalambos Antoniades and his team have discovered that inflammation in the fat surrounding coronary arteries can be an early warning sign.
With years of BHF funding, they have developed CaRi‑Heart™, an AI tool that detects this inflammation on CT scans and can help predict heart attack risk up to a decade in advance.
“Using data to predict future risk is hugely important,” Stephen says. “In industry, we use data to predict when machines will fail. Health should be no different.”
John wants people to recognise the full range of heart attack symptoms - including the subtle ones he experienced. “If there’s a family history, you need to recognise that fact,” he says. “I wasn’t on statins and should have been. I probably ignored my family history thinking it wouldn’t happen to me.” He adds: “Everybody was shocked when they heard about my health scare as I was relatively fit and healthy. That’s a wake‑up call for anyone who thinks it couldn’t happen to them.”
Now chairman of Enterprise NI, John is passionate about promoting cardiovascular research. “I was lucky,” he says. “But further research will improve diagnosis and treatment and help prevent heart attacks.”
Fearghal McKinney, head of BHF Northern Ireland, says: “Stephen and John’s stories show that cardiovascular disease can affect anyone, regardless of background, career or success. We are hugely grateful to them for speaking so openly.”
l Every day, around 12 people in Northern Ireland die from cardiovascular disease. Donate now to keep Northern Ireland beating: bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/in-your-area/northern-ireland/keep-northern-ireland-beating