Theo Walcott and his wife, Melanie, have opened up about the heart trouble their son Finley had when he was born.

Speaking to Hello! the winger’s wife revealed that their baby had to undergo a heart operation when he was just eight weeks old.

Finley, who will be one in April, was born with a congenital heart defect and the operation, which lasted two-and-a-half hours, were the longest hours of their lives.

Theo Walcott and Melanie on their wedding day
Theo and Melanie [source www.suzanneneville.com]
Melanie explained how the problem with Finley was quickly apparent after he was born, arriving two weeks premature with holes in his heart.

She said

“Finley had a routine check and they found a murmur, which, again is normal. But it should go after 24 hours.

“But it didn’t and it was discovered he had a valve that wasn’t working properly. Basically, the heart was having to work really hard to get the blood to his lungs, which meant that the right side of his heart was getting bigger.

“Theo and I were so new to it all, you suddenly feel so vulnerable because it is all taken out of your control. You’ve got this little person who is the most precious thing in the world and who you have this overwhelming urge to protect. It was a scary and emotional time.”

The operation, which was performed at London’s Rotal Brompton Hospital was a complete success and Finlay is as fit and healthy as any other child.