Under the microscope

TV presenter Louise Minchin, 55, answers our health quiz

CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?

HILARIOUS question as I do about 5½ hours’ structured exercise a week. I do one swim, probably three 5k runs and an indoor bike ride, plus yoga. I also take the dogs for a walk every day.

GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?

I DON’T eat much fruit but I eat lots of vegetables.

EVER DIETED?

I DID the 5:2 diet — you eat 500 calories two days a week — about nine years ago and it was effective but really hard. At this age you have to watch it because you can put on weight without eating much at all. The other thing that’s changed is my height: I was 5ft 8in, now I might be 5ft 7in.

ANY VICES?

KETTLE Chips and Wotsits.

WORST ILLNESS/INJURY?

A WEEK after my first daughter [Mia, now 22] was born by C-section, I became ill with excruciating pain and a fever. By the time anyone worked out what was wrong, my appendix had burst. Injury-wise, I was training for a triathlon in 2019, and I went over on my right ankle on the pavement. But six weeks later I was doing another long race. Two years later I saw the doctor because my ankle would give way — it turned out I’d run at least four marathons with a snapped ligament.

ANY FAMILY AILMENTS?

MY DAD is 82 and my mum is almost 80, and they’ve both been mostly fit and well most of their lives. Mum does Pilates at least twice a week. Dad’s got Raynaud’s like me — poor circulation: our hands and feet can go numb at the slightest hint of cold, even in the supermarket chiller aisle.

POP ANY PILLS?

I’M on HRT.

COPE WELL WITH PAIN?

I HAVE a high pain threshold — and that’s not brilliant because it means, for example, it can get to the stage where my appendix bursts before I express how much pain I’m in.

IS SEX IMPORTANT?

OH, very!

EVER BEEN DEPRESSED?

ABOUT nine months after the appendix incident I was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder. But I wouldn’t say I’ve been depressed.

HANGOVER CURE?

I NEVER drink cola unless I’ve got a hangover.

ANY PHOBIAS?

I’M REALLY claustrophobic. I find the London Underground challenging.

WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE?

NOT much now, but I was obsessed by sleep when I was on BBC Breakfast — I averaged only five hours a night. It influenced my decision to leave [in 2021] because I interviewed Professor Matthew Walker after reading his book, Why We Sleep, about how lack of sleep can impact your life so much.

LIKE TO LIVE FOR EVER?

ONLY if I could keep moving. I want to be very, very agile when I’m older.

O FEARLESS: Adventures With Extraordinary Women, by Louise Minchin (Bloomsbury, €22).