I don’t have any regrets – apart from a couple of perms and the odd dress

EXERCISE is crucial for mental health, because it ramps up the feel-good hormones. I run a couple of times a week, walk my dogs, and go to really punishing gym classes. Our garage is kitted out with a rowing machine, a TRX suspension training kit, and a yoga mat, and I do half-hour sessions when I can.

Recently, I’ve been training for a rowing challenge for Sport Relief, in a BBC team racing ITV. It’s been pretty gruelling.

My real passion is horses, I’ve ridden since I was a child, but it can be dangerous. It was very frightening in 2013, when I came off a horse and broke my collar bones, chipped my femur and jarred my neck.

As I fell and saw the ground whizzing up to meet my face, I thought, ‘What sort of state will I be in after this?’

I resolved then for the sake of my family to be more cautious, but I’d never give it up. I’m debating about getting my own horse, as a reward for getting a weekday show on Radio 2, which I’m thrilled about. WHEN I got The Girlie Show 22 years ago, I never dreamed I could eke out a career just by being myself and trying to make people laugh, so I feel very lucky.

I’d describe myself as loyal and, I hope, a good friend. I’m also good at staying calm. I live in the moment and try not to wish my life away, because time whizzes by and I aim to appreciate where I am right now.

When I look back, I can honestly say I don’t really have any regrets – apart from a couple of perms and definitely the odd dress! I THINK in 10 years time, there are going to be such amazing advancements, and that’s when I’ll probably have a crack at something. I’m never going to say never. My only action so far has been growing my fringe over most of my face – Zoe Ball and Claudia Winkleman are doing that as well – but I haven’t injected anything into it so far. I like the theory that wrinkles are a story of all the fun you’ve had and the life you’ve lived, and you can lose something by flattening them all out. TO me, it doesn’t feel like home unless there a couple of furry creatures knocking around under your feet. I love dogs, as I grew up with lots of them on my dad’s farm. We’ve got two Maltese terriers, Beano and Dolly, and a kitten, Watson. Beano goes to work with me at Radio 2 and sits under my chair. The BBC had to do an assessment on him to make sure he was safe, because obviously you can’t just take in something like an Irish Wolfhound or a Komodo dragon. Imagine Tony Blackburn eaten by a huge lizard... that’s definitely not happening on my watch! It’s actually a bit like a ‘Kennel Club’ at the BBC – lots of presenters take pets in. SARA Cox is a brand ambassador for 1-DAY ACUVUE Moist Multifocal Contact Lenses, which have been designed to correct presbyopia and enable you to see near, far and in-between throughout the day. Visit acuvue.co.uk