The Inside Story on Jill’s Heart Attack on The Young and the Restless

Colin has been a source of Jill’s heartbreak on The Young and the Restless — literally! As viewers saw on yesterday’s episode, Jill, played by two-time Emmy-winner Jess Walton wound up in Genoa City Memorial, having suffered a heart attack.

The ordeal came about after Jill (Jess Walton) found out that Colin (Tristan Rogers) had been spending all her money on bad deals. While Jill thought she was suffering from acid reflex, the reality is she’s suffered a heart attack.

“The Young and the Restless has a great tradition of telling stories about real issues that affect our viewers,” says Executive Producer Mal Young. “Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, so the character of Jill felt like the perfect choice to show how a woman’s life can dramatically change as a result of heart disease.

“Along with providing us some very emotional and dramatic episodes, the subject also gives us the opportunity to educate and highlight a very pertinent issue using characters our viewers know well. As well as seeing how it affects Jill as she comes to terns with her condition, the story will also illustrate how it impacts her family and those closest to her.”

It wasn’t just February sweeps that coincided with Jill’s new social issue story; February also happens to be American Heart Month.

“More than 325,000 women in the US will have a heart attack this year,” says Meighan Girgus, Chief Marketing and Programs Officer of the American Heart Association. “We’re proud to work with CBS Daytime to raise awareness abut the #1 killer of all Americans, and especially to dispel some of the many misconceptions about having and recovering from a heart attack.”

The symptoms Jill were having prior to the attack echo of what can happen to a person in real life. “Jill’s heart attack came on with subtle signs, just as most do, and in upcoming episodes she will receive medical treatment as well as post-care education from her doctor. Watch for Jill to be encouraged to focus on her health and make major healthy lifestyle changes, as it is a life-long journey to make life-saving changes.

Hmm…will one of those changes mean dumping Colin out of her life? Stay tuned!

In conjunction with the storyline, Walton taped a public service announcement for CBS Cares, urging viewers to educate themselves on heart health by visiting The American Heart Association.

Also, Walton has been using social media to spread the word about Jill’s latest storyline.

“Hope you all enjoy the storyline and it can help people,” she wrote on Facebook.

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