ROSS PARRY SYNDICATION: A heart attack victim who "died" four times has thanked the supermarket workers who saved her life after refusing to give up resuscitation despite a doctor telling them it was futile.

Quick-thinking Tina Watmough made a courageous promise to the daughter of 73-year-old Marlene Thorne that her mother wouldn't die - after realising she knew them from her youth.

Tina sprang into action along with colleague Alex Green at the Asda store they work at in Leeds, West Yorks., when Marlene suffered the heart attack while shopping with daughter Sarah Mather.

Trained first aider Alex spotted Marlene in distress and struggling to breath, then began battling to keep her alive - giving her mouth-to-mouth before Tina arrived to pump her chest.

Marlene stopped breathing four times but even when a local doctor was called in and told them there was nothing else they could do, they carried on and when ambulance staff arrived with a defibrillator, Marlene was stabilised.

She was taken to hospital where she stayed for two weeks and was fitted with a pacemaker.