‘My life has been one big period of relaxation’
UTV weatherman Frank Mitchell (59) rolls up the isobar map at 6.30pm tomorrow as he retires from the role after 37 years at the station. He will continue to deliver his morning radio phonein at U105. Frank lives in south Belfast with his wife Helene and they have one daughter, Laura
Do you take regular exercise and if so, what?
I do a lot of walking — Iamreally fond of long, long walks that last two and a half hours and I like to do them at a good brisk pace. One of the great drawbacks at the moment is that you can’t go far and you do the same walks all the time. When the world is back to normal I’ll be looking forward to getting to Donegal, which is the best place to walk. But there are so many delightful places locally — it’s amazing what you discover right on your doorstep when you are not allowed to travel to different places. Another thing I thoroughly enjoy is kayaking on the Bann, which was always something I did before Covid. I am a qualified PE teacher, even though I never taught, and kayaking was part of the routine. It’s something I am really looking forward to getting back to.
What is the worst illness you’ve had?
Thankfully, it’s the toothache. I’ve been blessed — I’ve managed to get into my 50s without having any worries or concerns about health. I never take my health for granted, however; my father died young and I’ve listened to all the health advice from the professionals and kept a watchful eye on all aspects of health. I think that is quite important.
How healthy is your diet?
I like to think it’s healthy. I go for a long period of time, being incredibly diligent. I haven’t eaten meat since 1985 — I saw a documentary about making burgers and sausages and couldn’t believe what they put in burgers and sausages, so I decided not to eat it. For many years I didn’t eat fish — I was almost vegetarian but my doctor suggested that maybe eating some fish would be a good idea. I like to think I’ve a healthy diet most of the time. I always have a healthy breakfast, a light lunch and I tend to eat a little too much in the evening which isn’t the best thing to do.
Any bad habits?
I occasionally worship at the altar of Mauds ice cream. I am a country boy so what some people describe as a bad habit, other people describe as a way of life. My favourite is the Poor Bear’s Delight ice cream, that honeycomb crunch. It’s not something you could eat a scoop or plate of — you could easily work your way through a litre of it during a match on the telly. I utterly love it.
Do you drink and smoke/ if so how much?
I haven’t smoked since I was 12. I had a wonderful old uncle who used to give me the occasional cigarette when I was 12 — the most wonderful man and he died of lung cancer at 57. He was a Woodbine chain smoker and the nicest man I’ve ever known. He died very young and I decided I would never smoke again. It was the ’70s so we weren’t worried about lung cancer then. But I’m an absolute advocate of preventing smoking in public places, around me, in cars, with children, and I support every initiative to eradicate smoking from society. I despise it.
I’ve never tasted alcohol. My dad used to give me the car to go to discos or do discos and if I’d had any interest in drinking I’d never would have got the car. So I didn’t start and when I got into my 20s it seemed too late to start to drink. I’ve never actually tasted alcohol in liquid form.
Doyoutakeany supplements?
I don’t. I’ve often considered it and read about it but never got round to doing it.
How do you take time out?
I love gardening and I’ve mentioned ‘I’m an advocate of preventing smoking in public places, around me, in cars’
Donegal... I adore following the fortunes of Man City and could spend day and night reading up on them and checking everything that is happening at the club. I love Gaelic football and love following Burren and Down. My life has been one big period of relaxation — I’ve never really had to do a day’s work in my life!
How well do you sleep?
Beautifully. I’ve a knack for sleeping — no matter where I am, I can put my feet up and sleep, whenever, wherever. I’m an eight hours a night man — the world could end and you wouldn’t wake me.
Do you worry about getting old?
How can I worry about it when I am old! You always think you are old when you’re in your 50s, I’ll probably be feeling even older when I get to my 60s. But I don’t worry about it because I don’t think about it.
What is your go-to product that keeps you feeling healthy?
Porridge. I love porridge. I literally could have porridge for my three main meals. I would never be offended if I went round to your house and you said ‘Frank, would you like a bowl of porridge?’ I often eat it for breakfast and lunch. I really feel it’s the healthiest food on earth.
Frank delivers his final UTV weather forecast at 6.30pm tomorrow, but will still be doing his daily phone-in on U105, 9am to noon, from Monday to Friday. Follow him on Twitter at @frank_broadcast