Glee star Dot Jones rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery

Glee star Dot Jones suffered a serious medical emergency over the Christmas break.

The 56-year-old noticed a burning sensation in her chest area that continued to get worse. It turned out that one of her arteries was 99 per cent blocked.

The actress took to Instagram on January 12 to share the horrific ordeal with fans on how she'd suffered a widowmaker heart attack which was potentially fatal.

"This is my heart," she wrote. "I had a heart attack then I had an angiogram late last night and a stent was put in to open the blood flow."

Jones, who got her start as an athlete, revealed that the doctor who saved her life was the same doctor who saved her wife, Bridgett Casteen-Jones, after she suffered some strokes.

"I had been having a burning sensation across my chest while walking and when I would stop walking it went away," Jones added. "When I went to the internist, I was told it was [bronchospasm] that would go away."

"A week later it was getting worse I went back then told it was asthma! And given an inhaler which did nothing!! Thank God for Bridgett making my appointment with Dr Nguyen!"

Jones updated fans today with an adorable snap of her dog comforting her after the unexpected surgery.

"Fancy has been by my side or laying over my legs since I got home from the hospital Friday," Jones captioned the photo of her pup wrapped in blankets cuddling up next to her.

Widowmaker heart attacks are commonly misdiagnosed as asthma or heart burn. A widowmaker heart attack occur when the left anterior descending artery, which sends blood to the larger part of the heart, is significantly blocked.

Jones got her acting breaking in Married...With Children. Soon after, she was cast as coach Beiste on Glee which scored her three Emmy nominations during the show's run.

Jones also acted in other shows like Full House, Roseanne, Chicago Hope, Lizzie McGuire, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, iCarly and Desperate Housewives.