Under the microscope
CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?
I HAVEN’T been able to run since I contracted polio aged three. The muscles in my right leg have wasted away a bit, and I have a limp. I stay fit by riding an exercise bike daily. Singing is also great exercise — it’s good for the stomach and diaphragm.
GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?
MY WIFE, Dorothy, tries to ensure I do when I’m at home. And when I’m staying in hotels, I still try to have fruit for breakfast and vegetables with dinner.
EVER DIETED?
NOT really. I weigh 11st 7lb, which is about right for my height (nearly 5ft 9in). But when I feel I’m developing love handles, I give up the fried stuff and reduce my wine intake.
ANY VICES?
I DRINK too much wine — when I go to bed the bottle is almost empty.
ANY FAMILY AILMENTS?
MY MOTHER Joyce, who died in her mid-70s, had high blood pressure which, thankfully, I don’t have. But my father Ron is still going strong at 91.
WORST ILLNESS?
POLIO. I was at death’s door, and spent four years in and out hospital having physiotherapy and traction.
POP ANY PILLS?
VITAMIN C and glucosamine sulphate for my joints.
HAD ANYTHING REMOVED?
LAST year I had a rear molar removed because I developed an infection which caused an abscess. I had a swelling like a golf ball under my left jaw.
HAVE PLASTIC SURGERY?
NO, IT always shows. I’m perfectly happy to grow old au naturel.
IS SEX IMPORTANT?
IF YOU’RE having an affair, it must be paramount. But within a long-term, loving partnership, it’s not.
TRIED ALTERNATIVE REMEDIES?
I HAVE manuka honey with herbal tea for my voice about three times a day. It may be a placebo, but if you believe something helps, it helps.
EVER BEEN DEPRESSED?
I’M NOT the type, fortunately. I’m a ‘glass half-full’ person.
HANGOVER CURE?
IF I drink a Bloody Mary (or three) and then wine, I might need a highly spiced Virgin Mary and several espressos the next morning.
ANY PHOBIAS?
HEIGHTS. I can go up in an aeroplane or a skyscraper and be fine if I’m behind glass. But I can’t step onto a balcony above five floors.
LIKE TO LIVE FOR EVER?
NO. I accept that one day this mortal world and I will have had enough of each other.
Steve Harley plays leamington Spa assembly Hall on Friday, august 3, and Newcastle’s tyne theatre & Opera House on Sunday, august 5 (steveharley.com).