Under the microscope
CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?
YES, we have a spiral staircase in our home and I think getting up and down that helps keep me slim.
GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?
I TRY to. My wife, Brenda, is very good at making sure vegetables are available. And I like to have a bowl of oranges on the kitchen table — I scoff those at every opportunity.
EVER DIETED?
NO, I’M a shade under 6ft and am the same weight now, 12 st, as I was in my 20s. I eat lots but don’t put on weight.
ANY VICES?
I HAVE a glass of wine with a meal three or four times a week, and enjoy the odd cocktail and half-pint of ale.
ANY FAMILY AILMENTS?
MY MOTHER, Edna, died when I was eight — she’d had rheumatic fever (a disease of the joints, heart and lungs) in the Thirties. She was in poor health after that and should probably never have had me. My father, Tom, sadly died aged 61 from pancreatic cancer.
WORST ILLNESS?
I WAS diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2002. The kidney had to come out, but luckily the tumour hadn’t spread, so I didn’t need chemo or radiotherapy. I was back at work within two weeks.
POP ANY PILLS?
SEVERAL years ago doctors found I had DVT [deep vein thrombosis] in my leg, and it turned out I have a blood condition, Factor V Leiden, which increases the risk of clots. I have to take the blood thinner warfarin daily.
HAD ANYTHING REMOVED?
MY APPENDIX about ten years ago.
HAVE PLASTIC SURGERY?
PART of me would like to get rid of my jowls but my father and grandfather had them, so I’ll just put up with them.
IS SEX IMPORTANT?
YES.
TRIED ALTERNATIVE REMEDIES?
TO BE frank, I’m a bit suspicious of all that stuff.
EVER BEEN DEPRESSED?
I’D ADMIT to gloominess at times, but I wouldn’t call it depression. Life can sometimes seem a bit greyer, but I remind myself I’m lucky to be here.
HANGOVER CURE?
I HAVEN’T needed one for a long time. I remember in my 20s calling a doctor out one morning, after a heavy session. By the time he arrived I was feeling much better!
ANY PHOBIAS?
I WENT potholing for an assignment, and I’ll never do that again — I didn’t enjoy being in such a confined space.
LIKE TO LIVE FOR EVER?
WHEN I think of all my grandparents witnessed in their lifetime — they were born before planes could fly — I wish I could live for another 100 years just to see all the changes that will take place.
Nicholas is a BBc News and classic FM radio presenter. he supports the children’s Trust (thechildrenstrust.org.uk).