'Big Beauty' tells of brush with death

Former Miss Hong Kong Michelle Reis, 51, said "the world almost lost her" after she stayed in an intensive care unit for two days after suffering shortness of breath and a racing heartbeat.

Reis, dubbed "Big Beauty," is married to billionaire Julian Hui Chun-hang.

On Friday, she posted on Instagram a photo of herself connected to tubes on a hospital bed, saying she has escaped death after two days of treatment in the ICU last week.

"On Tuesday midnight I suddenly felt my heart beating fast and felt like I couldn't breathe, plus I couldn't walk straight so I called my doctor immediately, and the doctor asked me to go to the hospital immediately," he said.

"I was rushed to the ICU immediately. Luckily I was conscious the entire time. The doctor even told me if I went to the hospital later, the world would have lost Michelle Reis."

After being allowed home, she wrote: "The reason I'm telling you this is because I want to remind everybody that we must protect our body and take care of our health.

"There is nothing more important than our health."