A multimillionaire TV presenter suffered a heart attack after pocketing a EUR 42,000 lotto win.
German TV entertainer Andreas Ellermann, 56, suffered the heart attack on his way back from collecting his lottery prize in the city of Hamburg, in northern Germany, on Tuesday, 29th November.
Ellermann, a popular German TV and radio host, entertainer and singer, who became a real estate millionaire, won EUR 42,182 (GBP 36,395) by playing the German lottery.
He first tried to claim his win from a petrol station but they said they could only give out wins of up to EUR 5,000 (GBP 4,300).
He said: “I went to the petrol station to hand in the ticket, but they were only allowed to pay out winnings of up to EUR 5,000.”
Ellermann, who said he wants to give the win to a charitable foundation he created, decided to go to the lottery headquarters on 29th November to claim his prize from them directly.
But on the way back he reportedly suffered from dizziness, shortness of breath, and tightness in his chest.
Dr Michael Stachow, 66, an old friend of his who is also an emergency doctor, reportedly advised him to go to the hospital immediately.
He added: “That can be life-threatening!”
Ellermann said that he at first did not want to go, but in the end, he obliged.
The hospital diagnosed him with atrial fibrillation in the heart and high blood pressure and said that his heart only had a pump capacity of less than ten per cent, according to German media
Ellermann, who has over 180,000 followers on Instagram, said: “Doctors stopped my heart with an electric shock to bring it back into rhythm.”
The popular entertainer is said to be currently recovering in the St Adolf-Stift hospital in Reinbek.
He told local media: “The doctors told me that if I hadn’t gone to the hospital straight away, I could have been dead the next day.
“In the meantime, I’m well adjusted with medication, I’ve lost 11 kilogrammes, the pumping capacity [of my heart] has been stabilised. I have to change my life now.”
Ellermann said his prize money will be going to his foundation, which supports vulnerable people who are dependent on the help of others due to their physical, mental and emotional situations.
Ellermann is also reportedly known to help the homeless and other people in need.
