A teenager from Garras is being hailed a hero after her dad suffered a cardiac arrest and she leapt into action, saving his life using techniques she learned on popular TV drama House.

Kodie Holland, 18, was a big fan of the TV show and has watched every episode, but was unaware that she was picking up medical practices while watching the show.

But when her dad, 56-year-old Barry, suffered a cardiac arrest Kodie quickly sprang into action, giving him chest compressions to the beat of Staying Alive by the Bee Gees.

Just like Hugh Laurie’s character, Dr House, Kodie remained calm and confident, and was reassuring her mum, Tina, while at the same time saving her dad.

Kodie says she has no idea where she learned the skills, and believes it must have come from the hours she spent watching the popular American TV show.

She said: “Dad had a cardiac arrest, about five of them. He had one in the middle of the road as he was being pushed to the ambulance.

“When he first collapsed to the ground we called 999, and they told us to do compressions and mum did them, but I noticed that she wasn’t doing them right.

“She was too soft and too slow, so I just jumped in and knew what to do. You have to do it in the middle of the chest and quite hard to get through the muscle.

“I did them for about 15 minutes and then my mum took over for the last three minutes, but she kept stopping to check that he was breathing so I told her to keep going.

“I don’t know what took over me, I wasn’t stressed I just did what I had to do.

"I’m a big House fan, I used to watch it quite a lot. I was obsessed with it at one point.

“After it was all over I was thinking about how I knew how to do such good compressions, and I really think I must have learned it from there.

“I tend to pick things up here and there, I used to have an interest in being a doctor but not so much anymore, I don’t think I could handle it.

“I think dad owes me a box of chocolates now."

Barry had to spend five weeks in the hospital, and was released last Tuesday after having an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator fitted.

Speaking to the BBC, Barry said: “It’s amazing, it really is amazing. I know she’s a clever girl but yeah, she did save my life.”

Kodie, and the rest of her family, would like to thank all the hospital staff at Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, and the paramedics who attended the scene, who helped save Barry.