Actress Sarah Parish

SARAH PARISH, 49, is best-known for TV roles in W1A and Broadchurch. Married to actor James Murray, 42, whom she met filming Cutting It, she lives with their daughter Nell, seven.

EXERCISE CAN HELP CONQUER GRIEF

I REALLY believe in the mantra ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ to help you through turbulent times.

As I’ve got older, and things have happened that are upsetting or distressing, or elements of my job have got more challenging, I’ve realised I really have to look after myself physically to be able to cope mentally. I’ve been through a lot in the past decade.

Eight years ago I lost my first daughter Ella-Jayne when she was eight months old; she was born five weeks prematurely with a serious heart defect and spent the first four months of her life in intensive care.

My husband Jim and I knew we had to deal with Ella-Jayne’s death in our own way. We went to Cambodia to work in an orphanage and then set up a charity

(themurrayparishtrust.com) to raise money for a paediatric care unit at Southampton General Hospital, where Ella-Jayne received wonderful care.

To our joy, our second daughter Nell was born when I was 41. But then both my parents died (my mother having had dementia).

I was working a lot, slightly depressed. I was drinking five cups of coffee a day and not eating particularly well. I knew if I kept going I’d damage my body.

I started doing barre classes — I set up a studio with friends — and then hired a personal trainer and started doing highintensity training.

Then I met a nutritional therapist who is an expert in anti-ageing. It was a real eye-opener.

I changed the way I ate and the way I looked at food. I cut down on my sugar intake, and reduced the amount of bad carbohydrates.

I found solace in keeping fit. It really kept my head together. When you are in a dark place, all you want to do is curl up and hide, but getting outside — even for a walk or a bike ride — filled me with a renewed energy.

If I hadn’t found exercise, I don’t think my mind would have coped. Everything would have become too much. Being physically well keeps me mentally well.