‘GMA’: Sam Champion Opens Up About Heart Health Scare After Hospitalization

UPDATE (3/25/26 11:37 a.m. ET): Good Morning America‘s Sam Champion gave fans an update after revealing he recently experienced a health scare.

Two days after sharing an Instagram photo of himself in a hospital bed on Sunday, March 22, Champion revealed when he would be returning to TV. “I will be back at work tomorrow. Tomorrow is Wednesday, so I’ll see you guys on Good Morning America,” he said in a Tuesday, March 24, Instagram video. “And thank you for all of your notes and concerns on the post. I was surprised and touched, and it meant a lot to me to read all of it while I was waiting. And thank you guys, so very much.”

He added, “I have no doubt that the test that we did saved my life, which is not an easy thing to say, and I want you guys to know about that test, too.”

Champion was back in the GMA studio on Wednesday, March 25. “I’m healthy. My heart presents at healthy. When I was tested over and over again. Everything looked fine,” he explained to viewers. “There was one symptom that kept persisting. I didn’t know it could mean a heart attack until I had a nuclear stress test to see what was going on inside my heart, to see how my heart was moving and holding blood. Noticing I was a little out of breath was the one thing that was wrong with me. I’m 64 years old. My doctor said, ‘We need to do this test right away.’”

The show’s chief medical correspondent, cardiologist Dr. Tara Narula, went on to share some details about Champion’s procedure. “A nuclear stress test means you walk on a treadmill, sometimes we give people medicine to simulate stress, then we give a radioactive tracer, and that tracer gets distributed throughout the heart muscle,” she stated. “If it doesn’t get to one area the same that it gets to the other areas of the heart, we presume there might be a blockage in the arteries supplying that area, and that’s when we would send someone for a more advanced test, which you had.”

Narula noted that the non-invasive tests “aren’t perfect,” and that the “gold stand procedure” to get is a cardiac catheterization. “[It] looks at the anatomy and can definitively say if there is a significant blockage or not. And that is the procedure that you had, where they put a tiny little catheter in the artery in your wrist or your groin,” she said. “That catheter goes up to the heart muscles, we inject contrast dye, and we take pictures. And we can see if those blockages in the arteries are 70 percent or more. If they are, then we often will fix them with a stent.”

According to Narula, the risk for a cardiac catheterization is very low and patients can return to day-to-day activities almost immediately after, thus Champion’s quick return to GMA.

Robin Roberts, for her part, said she noticed that Champion experienced shortness of breath during their recent trip to Brazil, and that he was encouraged to look into his health issue by his husband, Rubem Robierb. “I’m so glad that Robem really insisted on you getting additional testing,” she stated.

ORIGINAL STORY (3/23/26 1:12 p.m. ET):

Good Morning America fans are sending Sam Champion their well-wishes following a recent health scare.

On Sunday, March 22, Champion surprised his Instagram followers by sharing a photo of himself lying in a hospital bed. “Thank you Dr. Stam Lerakis and Dr.sharma and the WONDERFUL team of nurses at @mountsinaimedicalcenter Fuster Heart Hospital!” he captioned the snap. “Many of you know I had a nuclear stress test last Thursday. And we found some things that needed to be taken care of so today. I went in to the cardiac catheterization laboratory….. and we took care of it.”

Champion went on to note, “Thanks to these procedures. I am well and expected to make a full recovery.❤️.”

The post’s comments section was flooded with messages from fans and celebrities alike. “You know here if you need anything at all! Speedy recovery on the way! ❤️,” Robin Roberts wrote, while Al Roker commented, “Sam The Man. Glad you are on the mend, my friend.”

ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis posted, “So glad you are taking care of YOU! Feel good, Sam. Big hugs❤️‍🩹.” Ginger Zee said she was sending Champion “healing vibes🙌,” and Lara Spencer shared, “I love that smile. I love you. ❤️‍🩹.” GMA‘s official Instagram page commented, “Sending big hugs and healing thoughts! ❤️‍🩹.”

 

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One fan wrote underneath the post, “Hey Sam! Glad your procedure went well❤️🙏 .. praying for a speedy recovery and getting back to dancing on the beach!🥰🌊.” Another added, “Rest up! Glad you’re doing well.”

Someone else shared, “Sam – i hope you’re feeling good! 💙🙏🏼 Recovery time? Or right back to work?” A different person posted, “Sam glad to hear u took care of whatever it was!!! Get better soon!!! We need u on GMA!! 😎💜🍷.” (Champion was absent from GMA‘s Monday, March 23, episode.)

According to the Mayo Clinic, a stress test “shows how the heart works during physical activity” and “can show changes with blood flow within the heart” by walking on a treadmill or riding an exercise bike.

Champion revealed he would be undergoing a stress test in a Thursday, March 19, Instagram video. “I’m more tired than normal this morning because I have a stress test exam,” he stated. “They’re gonna make me run on a treadmill and watch how my heart functions today. It’s one of those old people things that you have to do.”

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Noting that he was not allowed to drink coffee before the test, he quipped, “Wish me luck on the no coffee journey of the morning.”

Last month, actress Jennie Garth shared an Instagram video of herself undergoing a stress test to raise awareness for Heart Health Month. “Let this be a reminder that caring for your mind, spirit, and body matters. All of it!” she wrote on February 1. “And listen, I get it. Taking care of our selves can feel like a lot of work, maybe even stalling us from doing anything at all. But we are worth the effort! Knowledge is the key to prevention. You are allowed to choose to take some extra time for yourself! So schedule the appointment, take care of the thing, make the effort. You deserve it.”

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