Under the microscope

Fitness guru Diana Moran, 80, known as The Green Goddess, answers our health quiz

CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS? YES, my mantra is ‘Keep Fit — and Carry On!’ As soon as I wake up I do ten minutes of stretching. GET YOUR FIVE A DAY? I WAS born and bred in the West Country so fruit and veg are my mainstay. EVER DIETED? NEVER, but I have watched my weight. I’ve always been 5ft 10in and around 10st 6lb, but during a check-up recently I found out that not only do I have osteopenia, which means my bones are weaker, but I’ve shrunk by two inches — so I’m now 5ft 8in. ANY VICES? WHITE wine. After starting lockdown one of my neighbours said: ‘We are going to do a shop, tell us what you’d like.’ I asked for six of the cheapest sauvignon blanc. They came back and said, ‘Whoops! Each customer is only allowed three!’ That will cut my boozing down. WORST ILLNESS? BREAST cancer in 1988, which led to the removal of both breasts and reconstructive surgery. That was a very difficult time of my life and a complete and utter surprise. ANY FAMILY AILMENTS? MY mother died at 47, of a brain hemorrhage. She was the longest survivor of her four siblings who died from an inherited genetic condition, which can cause abnormal blood clotting. I carry the gene but have never had any symptoms. POP ANY PILLS? MAGNESIUM for twitchy legs and cramps — especially at night. I also take vitamin D and calcium for the health of my bones. HAD ANYTHING REMOVED? MY APPENDIX when I was 30, and — as I was a great sun worshipper — I have had dozens of basal cell carcinomas (a type of skin cancer) removed. HAVE PLASTIC SURGERY? NEVER, but I can see why people get their teeth corrected. I am fortunate to have been born with good teeth. EVER BEEN DEPRESSED? AFTER the cancer diagnosis, I went into myself and closed the doors on life and people. My cancer surgeon suggested I talk to someone and by golly it did me good. WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT? ANYTHING that’s worrying me during the day gets magnified in the night. Years ago I took sleeping pills and then found I was hooked on them, so I swore I’d never take them again. ANY PHOBIAS? SNAKES and worms! I am a keen gardener but if a worm appears, I go off and garden elsewhere. LIKE TO LIVE FOR EVER? I LOVE life but if I have to go — I have to go. At nearly 81, I am at ease with it.