Under the microscope

COUNTDOWN host and former Apprentice star Nick Hewer, 77, answers our health quiz

CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?

I’M not as fit as I should be. I have an exercise bicycle and I sling my iPad over the handlebars and watch movies and documentaries while I cycle, otherwise I would get bored to death. I also take Molly, our puppy, out for walks.

GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?

I HAVE a couple of bananas a day and I like tangerines. One of the great dividends of lockdown is that my partner, Catherine, has taken a keen interest in matters culinary and is cooking the most fabulous meals.

ANY VICES?

I USED to smoke around 20 a day but gave up 21 years ago. I’ve discovered the joy of cooked breakfasts, because during lockdown I’ve had bacon sent to me by a firm in Telford, plus I have lots of eggs to dispose of because I keep chickens. However, I’ve got to pack it in because my cholesterol is creeping up a bit. I also have a glass of wine with dinner.

EVER DIETED?

I WAS 11 st (he’s 5 ft 9in) until my 30s or 40s. I’ve lost a bit of weight over the past year and am now 12 st 4 lb, although I don’t take too much notice of it.

FAMILY AILMENTS?

MY FAMILY was prone to appendicitis. We all had our appendix whipped out — mine was when I was about 20 as a precaution. My father had his removed while on holiday in France. His brother died of peritonitis following a burst appendix, and my sister had peritonitis, too.

EVER HAVE COSMETIC SURGERY? CLEARLY not, no. WORST ILLNESS/OR ACCIDENT?

TEN years ago or so, I was in Rwanda filming for a children’s charity and I thought my eyesight was a bit weird. I went to the doctor and discovered I had blown a vein behind the retina in my right eye. I can still see for miles, but looking closely at numbers is a problem in one eye.

POP ANY PILLS?

WHEN I gave up smoking I put on a bit of weight and acid reflux became a daily visitor. I take omeprazole [to reduce acid production] which is brilliant. I also take hypertension tablets and a statin.

EVER BEEN DEPRESSED?

I VEER towards pessimism, but I also believe that everything is possible and I’ve been very lucky.

WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT?

I GET to bed around midnight. I am not sleeping very well during this lockdown . . . like everyone else.

ANY PHOBIAS?

I’M A Celebrity — I would be appalled at the thought of being smothered in creepy-crawly things.

LIKE TO LIVE FOR EVER?

NO. As someone once said, old age is not for the faint-hearted.

■ NICK supports Fairtrade’s Choose The World You Want Festival, fairtrade.org.uk/choosethe-world-you-want/