The footy identity was rushed to hospital with a heart scare to enjoy the Brisbane Lions the following weekend

Footy commentator Kate McCarthy is recovering after being rushed to hospital with a heart scare while celebrating the victories of both Brisbane Aussie Rules teams at the weekend.

The former Brisbane Lions and All Australian player was in seventh heaven last weekend as she took part in Channel 7’s big AFL matchday coverage at the MCG, which saw the Lions defeat the Sydney Swans by 60 points.

On Sunday she was delighted as Brisbane’s AFLW team beat the Adelaide Crows in a two-point thriller on home soil – but then McCarthy was overwhelmed by her ongoing health battle at the airport on Monday.

“When @brisbanelions and @lionsaflw double over the weekend you get ventricular tachycardia.” [a type of abnormal heart rhythm, or arrhythmia]”McCarthy wrote on social media.

“On the mend, but Monday night’s review shows Pacemaker performing like the Swans on the big stage.”

The horror arises because McCarthy has had a pacemaker since he was twelve due to seizures in his childhood.

McCarthy was initially diagnosed with “intermittent 3” heart block as a toddler and eventually had a pacemaker inserted in high school.

“An ambulance came and I had a seizure in the ambulance, then another in the emergency room.” “I think I had seven seizures that day,” McCarthy previously told AthletesVoice.

Kate McCarthy – who suffers from heart disease – had a scare after an episode of ventricular tachycardia (VT) on Monday

In her AFLW playing days, Kate McCarthy was an All-Australian representative when she played for the Brisbane Lions

“When I had my seizures, I would lose consciousness for about 20 to 30 seconds during the seizure and then regain consciousness afterward.”

“I think the most worrying thing for mum and dad was that I was really into sport – I did triathlons, so I swam and cycled a lot.”

“They were very worried about what would happen if something happened to me while swimming or cycling.”

“So the next day I had emergency surgery and they put in a pacemaker and everything was fixed from there. “That hasn’t happened since.”

A qualified teacher, McCarthy represented the Lions, St Kilda and Hawthorn before ending her AFLW career in 2022.

She is now widely regarded as a rising star in football media and is a key figure in Channel 7’s AFL and AFLW coverage.

McCarthy has received much praise as co-host of the panel shows Armchair Experts and Talking W.