BRADFORD Bulls' captain has been announced as an ambassador of a new national healthy hearts campaign.

Adrian Purtell, who suffered a heart attack in 2012 after a match for the Bulls, will become an ambassador of Seafish's #superfishoil health campaign, which encourages people to eat more Omega-3 rich fish to keep their hearts healthy.

The Australian went into cardiac arrest following a match against Leeds Rhinos in May 2012 at the Magic Weekend, aged only 27.

He said: "Thankfully the speed of the Bulls medics and the hospital doctors – and the fact that I was a fit athlete – helped to prevent major damage to my heart.

"The whole episode obviously shook me and when I was at my lowest I didn’t know whether I would ever play the sport I loved again.

"I didn't think my lifestyle was unhealthy, on the contrary, as a fit athlete with all the physical training and healthy eating regime which we have to follow I never thought such a thing could happen to me.

"Since then I have looked more closely at my diet and one of the things I am aware of is to eat more fish – particularly omega-3-rich oily fish which I have at least once a week.

"I am now an ambassador for Heart Research UK, and I hope by sharing my experiences I can help others to think about their lifestyle choices and ensure that they are eating a healthy diet and getting enough exercise so that they can live healthier, happier and longer lives."

After a year of recovery, Purtell was cleared fit to play and made his comeback in an emotional game against Hull Kingston Rovers on March 17, 2013, helping the Bulls to a 34-12 victory over the Robins at Odsal.

Adrian is backing Seafish’s heart health campaign #superfishoil, which aims to raise awareness of the benefits of omega-3, which starts this month.

Other ambassadors include celebrity chef John Torode and TV cook Sally Bee.

Find out more about the campaign at fishisthedish.co.uk/health/omega3-superfishoil.