Sara’s undies help boost heart charity (From The Bolton News)

Sara’s undies help boost heart charity

9:00am Tuesday 10th July 2012 in News

BOLTON DJ Sara Cox said “knickers to heart attacks” when she added her underwear to a giant piece of artwork.

Artist Sian Doherty, aka Fanny Gogh, has created the 10ft high Knickerbokaglory mural using knickers.

Ms Cox’s undies gave a star boost to the piece, which is also part of a life-saving appeal to buy 16 defibrillators like the one used to help save the life of Bolton Wanderers player Fabrice Muamba when he had a cardiac arrest in March.

The Radio 1 DJ stopped off to lend her support to the appeal en route to her sister’s fancy-dress birthday party in Little Lever on Friday, with pal Clare Hamilton, from Whitefield.

Mrs Doherty, from Boothstown, became known as Fanny Gogh after using knickers in her Knickerbokaglory painting at an exhibition in 2008.

On Saturday, she hosted the Knickerbokaglory Festival at the Waterside in Monton, with all money going to the British Heart Foundation. The charity needs £16,000 to buy defibrillators.

Using the donated knickers, Mrs Doherty created a 10ft Knickerbokaglory mural on the wall of the restaurant.

Ms Cox, aged 37, said: “They’re my knickers. They’re from Freya where they make bras for more generously endowed ladies.”

The former model said she tries to make the effort with matching sets, but is wary of the dreaded VPL caused by some knickers when wearing her favourite skinny jeans.

She said: “I’ve got a thousand Marks and Spencer black G-strings that I just live in.”

Mrs Doherty, aged 41, an artist for 20 years, said: “I had open heart surgery last August. I found out I had a 3cm hole in my heart. It was horrendous. I’ve got three girls and it was a really scary time.”

When Muamba collapsed on the pitch during the FA Cup quarter-final at Tottenham, Mrs Doherty said it made her thankful her condition had been diagnosed.

She said: “I actually thought that could’ve been me. Luckily, I found out. It was a ticking time-bomb.”

During her flying visit, mother-of-three Ms Cox told how she is enjoying writing her blog.

The former Smithills School pupil said: “I just love writing. I loved English at school and English Literature. I just think it uses a different bit of your brain.

“I did my A Levels at Canon Slade. We had Mr Briggs and Mrs Smith. They were just brilliant.”