Golden girls joining celebs on runway to share The Heart Truth

Heart and Stroke Foundation's annual fashion show to highlight women's heart health at World MasterCard® Fashion Week in Toronto.

TORONTO, March 14, 2013 /CNW/ - Celebrities, top fashion designers and some very special Canadian golden girls are to showcase women's heart health at the sixth annual The Heart Truth Fashion Show on March 21, as part of World MasterCard® Fashion Week in Toronto.

The Heart Truth Fashion Show will once again feature Canadian celebrities from the worlds of sports, television, film and media, modeling one-of-a-kind creations by top Canadian fashion designers to raise awareness about women's risk for cardiovascular disease.

But this year, celebrities will share the spotlight with the winners of The Heart Truth's Models of Health program. Three starring seniors will grace the runway to showcase living well into their senior years as a result of making heart healthy choices throughout their lives. Survivors of heart disease and stroke will also be walking the runway, sharing their personal stories that highlight the need for women to make their own heart health a priority.

Models gracing the catwalk include:

• Olympic champions Cheryl Bernard, Hayley Wickenheiser and Jamie Salé
• Actors Lauren Holly, Kristin Lehman, Melanie Nicholls-King and Sonja Smits
• Models of Health winners  Claire MacDonnell, Gladys Wenger and Margaret Abbott-Brown
• Singers Liona Boyd and Nanette Workman
• Heart disease and stroke survivors Heather Nutt-Christensen and Janet Parr
• Media personalities Erica Ehm, Jennifer Valentyne, Sandra Rinomato, Suhana Meharchand, Stacey Tookey and Traci Melchor

Designer alumni once again generously donating their talent to the Heart Truth Fashion Show include David Dixon, Farley Chatto, Freda's, Ines Di Santo, MOMO, Pink Tartan, Ross Mayer, Something Blue, and Thien Le. Designing an iconic Red Dress has become a rite of passage for Canadian designers, and newly welcomed to the roster this year are Allistyle, ASHTIANI, Christopher Paunil, Danny De La Venta, Diane Kroe, LuShyne, Stephan Caras, TOMÉ and Whitney Linen.

Media are invited to attend with interview opportunities before and after the show. Event details:

How the public can watch: The Heart Truth Fashion Show will be streamed live on the website at thehearttruth.ca/livefashionshow and Facebook at facebook.com/TheHeartTruth. Canadians are invited to host their own viewing parties, cheer their favourite celebs down the runway, participate in the Twitter conversation at #THTFS2013 and join the community at facebook.com/TheHeartTruth. A limited number of public tickets are for sale at $50/ea exclusively at www.worldmastercardfashionweek, with proceeds donated to the campaign.

About The Heart Truth™ campaign

The Heart and Stroke Foundation's The Heart Truth campaign calls on women to put their own health first by assessing their risk for heart disease and stroke, talking to their doctor, and making heart healthy lifestyle choices in order to enjoy a long and healthy life with their loved ones.

The Heart Truth campaign gratefully acknowledges the support of founding sponsor, Becel, and contributing sponsors Chatelaine, Post Shredded Wheat, and Health Check™, without whom the program would not be possible.

About The Heart and Stroke Foundation™

The Heart and Stroke Foundation (www.heartandstroke.ca), a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and advocacy. Its vision is 'Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen.'

Press release, model bios, model/designer pairings, media backgrounders, print quality images and broadcast-ready video are available for download at thehearttruth.ca/media-room

SOURCE: HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION

For media interviews, please contact:

Edelman (on behalf of the Heart and Stroke Foundation)
416-979-1120 or [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]