Then she discovered she had raised cholesterol, putting her more at risk of heart disease herself.

"I've been aware for five or six years that it was the silent killer," she says, adding that unlike high blood pressure, high cholesterol has no warning signs.

"I have an overactive thyroid, so everytime I went to see my doctor, he kept banging on, saying, 'Your cholesterol is too high'. It was 6.9 and it should be 5, so he was worried about it."

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which has been linked to high cholesterol, kills one in three people in the UK. Along with strokes, it is the biggest killer of women, responsible for more deaths than the next five causes combined.

While most women are aware they need to check regularly for signs of breast cancer, cholesterol sometimes doesn't even register, even though it could be responsible for nine times as many deaths.

Women aged over 45 are even more at risk of heart disease due to rising cholesterol levels triggered by the hormonal changes during the menopause, according to research.

But not enough women are aware of the dangers, with a new survey commissioned by Flora showing only 24% associate the menopause with raised cholesterol.

Gloria has teamed up with Flora pro.activ to educate more women about this issue, as part of the Check For Change campaign.

"The menopause effects women in different ways," she says. "I didn't do HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) because of the threat of breast cancer, which runs in our family."

Gloria's daughter Caron Keating died from breast cancer in 2004 after a seven-year battle with the disease.

"I do know women who really suffer from night sweats and things, but I took alternative medicine and it was really smooth for me.

"The majority of doctors treat the symptoms but they don't tell you what you have to do. For my mother, it was all downhill after the menopause, but women now are living longer and cholesterol is a real threat."

Gloria took part in Flora's three-week challenge to cut down her cholesterol – and was amazed by the results.

"It came down to 5.2 over the three weeks which is the lowest it's ever been," she says. "I heard it could be brought down relatively easily but I had been struggling for three years.

"I had to step up exercise," she says. "I do try to exercise anyway, but I rode my static bike every day for 15 minutes.

"On a good day, I'd do 20 to 30 minutes and put it in front of the TV because by the time I'd watched news I'd done the 20 minutes. I have to enjoy exercise or I won't do it!"

Sugary treats were also a no-no. "I don't have much of a sweet tooth for puddings, but I have a biscuit and cake cupboard for my grandchildren.