A double heart bypass patient has defied the odds to become a martial arts teacher.

Ray Grey was taken seriously ill with a heart condition and rushed into hospital for life-saving surgery.

Only two years later, he got a prestigious karate black belt and has since achieved higher-ranking belts.

Mr Grey, of Boundary Road, Lancing, started his own club last year.

He said: "This has been a major achievement in my life after the operation.

"It proves that even after a major operation you can still live life to the full, providing you take things easier than before and stay fit and healthy.

"The support of my family and everyone at the club has been so fantastic.

"Karate keeps me active. I can't do everything I did before and I don't take part in competitions anymore because of the contact. I just have to know my limits."

Mr Grey started getting chest pains in May 2000 and went for tests at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

He underwent a double heart bypass two days later.

Doctors told Mr Grey he would have died within a couple of months if he had not had surgery.

Mr Grey, 50, said: "I started karate again three months afterwards. Normally you'd have to wait six months after an operation like that before you were back doing things but I got bored."

He achieved his first Dan black belt in 2002 and his second in 2004.

In martial arts, ranks are awarded by different coloured belts and Dans are grades of those.

Mr Grey, who works part-time at Woolworths in Worthing, was presented his third Dan black belt last month by Andrew Morrell, president of Cobra Martial Arts Association.

He opened Lancing Karate Freestyle last year and teaches on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.

There are 25 members of the club and one has also passed her third Dan grading.

Visit www.lancingfreestylekarate.co.uk for more information.