Libby at her 2019 Honoree Induction with Donna deVarona
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Olympic legend and mum-of-five Libby Trickett has received an outpouring of support from friends and fans after sharing details of a shock heart attack she suffered.
In a video shared to Instagram on April 17, Libby, 41, revealed that there had been some “health things” she’s been “exploring and investigating” in recent months.
Libby welcomed her fifth child with husband Luke – a little boy named Archie – after a “volatile” pregnancy in April 2025.
“Turns out, in June last year, I would have been about two months postpartum after Archie, I actually had what turns out to be a type of heart attack,” the mum shared.
She went on to explain she had suffered a specific kind of heart attack called a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) – a serious, often emergency condition where an artery wall in the heart tears, blocking blood flow.
“It’s not caused by the normal things that cause heart attacks like build up of plaque and things like that,” Libby went on. “But basically a tear that happens in the artery wall in the heart.”
The star went on to explain that her diagnosis has “lots of different implications” that she continues to work through and discover, adding that she felt it was a “frustrating condition” because it is relatively under researched.
“It almost exclusively happens to women under the age of 50, it commonly happens in pregnant women or women who have recently given birth. There’s a genetic component it seems.”
Libby appeared visibly shaken as she said it had been a “challenging” time for her.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty because there is a certain change of recurrence as well, and they don’t necessarily know why that happens,” she said.
“I will likely be on lifelong medication to manage my heart rate and my blood pressure.
“I need to do moderate cardio exercise, I can’t lift heavy weights, there’s question marks around rollercoasters and all different types of things,” she added.
“It’s been a lot.”
The star’s followers were quick to share their concern, writing messages of support beneath her post.
Home and Away star Penny MacNamee was one of those to send a message, writing, “Thanks for sharing and being so vulnerable Libby, sending you so much love as you navigate this diagnosis.”
Australian author Maggie Dent added, “Libby as always you are such a voice for good and sharing this big health challenge will help so many. Huge Maggie hugs.”
A critical care paramedic was also among those commenting on Libby’s post, with the expert saying they had been “screaming about SCAD for a decade” after having a young female patient “nearly get dismissed as anxiety” when she was actually having a heart attack.
“I was mortified how little was known and taught about it in the pre-hospital world and went on to present many times about SCAD,” they wrote. “Thank you for using your experience to raise awareness of SCAD. I hope your recovery is speedy.”
It’s not the first time that Libby has been candid about health challenges she has gone through.
In a 2019 interview with The Morning Show, Libby revealed how she had suffered from severe post-natal depression after the birth of her first child in 2015.
“It felt very slow and steady, as though the burden just became harder and harder to carry,” she shared.
“It wasn’t until she was about eight months that I had a mental break – and it was at that moment that I realised I wasn’t behaving in a normal way.
“I was so angry at everything, and I had no idea that anger was a sign of depression. But that was the moment I realised I needed to get help.”
Everyone at ISHOF wishes Libby a fast recovery and her ISHOF family is sending lots of love her way!