Mike Tyson Tattoos

Rachel Hunter has spoken for the first time since she was diagnosed with a heart problem, calling the health scare a necessary "wake-up call".

Rod Stewart's ex-wife, 41, was recently struck down with myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, after a virus spread to her heart wall.

But the blonde beauty admits the incident helped remind her to scale back her hectic work schedule and take better care of herself.

She tells Women's Day magazine, "It's a good wake-up call. What I learned through all these medical issues was that I was fortunate enough to catch them in time.

"During six months, it was like, 'Why is this happening to me?' But I had a lot of time to realize I needed to slow down.

"It's a very scary thing to go through. Now when I get a cold, I get worried. It can be dangerous, but they caught it in time. It took me a couple of months to recover."