A 38-YEAR-OLD who needed a double heart bypass after years of smoking wrecked his health has warned others that cigarettes can kill.

Father-of-three Darren Tucker, of Mount Gould, was last year told he had between two and three years to live unless he gave up smoking.

His hospital consultant said years of cigarettes had been a major contributing factor to his heart disease. Darren quit smoking with his wife Ann-Marie five days before the operation which saved his life in September.

The couple told their story to support national No Smoking Day today.

Darren said: "The doctor was straight to the point and said that if I carried on smoking, I would die. That'll soon make you quit. If people took notice earlier they wouldn't have to go through all of that."

Ann-Marie said: "I now tell people that smoking will kill you in the end. It almost killed my husband and I'm just glad he's still here. You may enjoy it at the time, but at the end of the day smoking is doing you damage."

Both Darren and Ann-Marie said they took up smoking in their teens – he at about 18 and she at 14.

She said it had also affected her health, leading to high blood pressure and aggravating her diabetes and asthma.

She said their habit worsened after they had their daughter Kirsty 14 years ago – until they were smoking around 60 cigarettes a day between them.

Darren also has two children by a previous partner, 19-year-old Kimberley and 17-year-old Ryan.

Ann-Marie, aged 35, said: "We used to smoke straights but towards the end we bought rollies because we couldn't afford packets of cigarettes.

"We'd get through half a 50g packet of tobacco a day between us.

"It came to the point where we would struggle for money because of the cost."

Darren was diagnosed with high blood pressure in his early 30s and suffered a heart attack in October 2004.

Ann-Marie said: "We went down the road to see a friend and Darren got hot, was sweating profusely and looking really pale.

"My friend rang an ambulance and he was taken to A&E. They told him he was having a heart attack. It was a real shock – I couldn't believe it."

He underwent surgery to have two stents inserted into an artery and was diagnosed with angina.

Despite attempts to quit smoking, the couple did not find the resolve to stop for good until last year.

Darren was referred to Derriford Hospital for tests in early 2009 after having increasingly worse chest pains.

In June he was diagnosed with severe heart disease and his consultant said he would need a heart bypass.

"He told us there and then we needed to give up smoking," said Ann-Marie. "He was adamant that Darren had to give up or the operation would be a waste of time. The smoking would end up killing him.

"We needed to take action and we decided to stop together."

They contacted the Plymouth NHS Stop Smoking Service and had regular visits from an adviser who provided prescriptions for patches, gave advice and support.

Ann-Marie said the benefits had been "unbelievable".

She said: "We are healthier – I no longer need an inhaler – and have more money, for better food and to treat the children.

"The house smells better and we can taste our food more. It's good for the kids too, not breathing in our second-hand smoke any more.

"It's not easy but it's worth doing and if I can do it, anyone can."