But what her disapproving onlookers don’t realise is that Sadie frequently suffers with debilitating symptoms that aren’t visible, ever since she was diagnosed with DCM two years ago.

“People assume there’s nothing wrong with you when you park in a disabled bay with a blue badge on a good day and look able-bodied,” she reveals.

Sadie’s diagnosis came completely out of the blue, following several months of experiencing shortness of breath, fatigue and a build-up of fluid in the ankles and stomach.

The 39-year-old mother-of-two was told she had inherited the potentially fatal condition from her birth father, but because she was adopted as a baby, no medical conditions were disclosed. Her youngest son has also inherited DCM.

With her medical background, working as a senior A&E nurse for many years, Sadie thought she knew what a ‘typical’ heart patient looked like, but is now keen to help show that there are people who don’t fit the stereotype of an older person with an unhealthy lifestyle.

She is joining forces with Cardiomyopathy UK’s Heart Bleeps campaign to challenge the misconceptions and myths surrounding heart conditions.

Cardiologist Professor Perry Elliott, President of Cardiomyopathy UK, says: “Misconceptions and negative attitudes such as Sadie experiences are a barrier to those living with the condition, but this lack of understanding can also result in someone with cardiomyopathy not getting the treatment they need when they need it, thinking they are not the sort of person who would have a serious heart problem.”