CELEBRITY WELLBEING Ageing is ghastly , but I’m happy in my own skin
TV CHEF Rosemary Shrager knows she has a higher than average risk of developing glaucoma – a common eye condition that can result in permanent sight loss. “I have worried sometimes that
I’d wake up one morning and not be able to see,” the 68-year-old reveals.
Rosemary – who first hit our screens as the haute cuisine teacher on reality show Ladette To Lady in 2005, and is one of the celebrity senior citizen stars of BBC One’s The Real Marigold On Tour – has several close family members who lost their sight due to glaucoma.
There are different types of glaucoma, which damage the main nerve in the eye (the optic nerve), usually as a result of increased pressure in the eye. It affects more than 700,000 people in the UK but often doesn’t cause symptoms in the early stages, which means many people don’t realise they have it.
However, treating glaucoma early is vital in preventing it getting worse, otherwise irreversible damage and sight loss can occur.
“My grandmother and two great-aunts went blind, and my father had extremely restricted vision. As it’s often hereditary, it’s a terrifying thought that I could get it too,” says Rosemary, who has yearly check-ups and is working with Specsavers to raise awareness of the importance of regular eye tests.
A lot of the time, early signs of problems can be detected through routine eye tests.
“Of all the senses, losing my sight is the one I fear the most,” Londonborn Rosemary adds. “As a chef, my work depends on my sight – It would finish my career.”
Rosemary’s no-nonsense attitude and bubbly personality, coupled with her prodigious culinary skills, have made her an on-screen favourite. She’s had her own show (Rosemary Shrager’s School For Cooks), judged on a host of others including Soapstar Superchef and BBC Two’s The Big Family Cooking Showdown in 2017, and took part in I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2012.
She only found out by chance 20 years ago that she could potentially develop glaucoma. “While I was at Moorfields Eye Hospital with my ex-husband, because he had a detached retina, I just happened to mention to a nurse there was glaucoma in my family,” she recalls.
“I was so shocked when they told me that meant I was at high risk of developing it.”
She put it to the back of her mind. But three years ago an optician highlighted a concern at a routine check-up. She saw a consultant ophthalmologist at her local NHS hospital who “confirmed a tiny change in my left eye, which could point to glaucoma at some point. Thankfully I didn’t need treatment, but I now have annual check-ups,” she explains.
“It just so happened that I’d been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which can also affect your sight. That’s when those fears of waking up blind really reared up.”
Rosemary – who admits she’s been “cavalier about health over the years” – decided on a radical overhaul. “In the last two years, I’ve lost a lot of weight – around three dress sizes and around 14cm around my waist. I’ve reversed the diabetes diagnosis, do more exercise and look after myself a lot better.”
She’s positive about the future. “I think glaucoma might evolve when I’m older but thankfully I’m
Celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager in the kitchen and, left, on The Real Marigold on Tour with Miriam Margolyes, Bobby George and Wayne Sleep safeguarding my sight with check-ups.
“Generally, it can be treated very effectively if detected early, which is why I’m urging people to have their eyes tested.
“I don’t think I would ever go blind through it. I’m being monitored and everything’s moved on so much since my father’s day.”
Rosemary also explained how TV changed her life.
“It gave me so much more confidence. My passion’s always been chef-ing and cooking but I was so nervous about speaking in public. When I first appeared on screen years ago, I could barely speak.
“Then I slowly discovered that I actually love performing and acting, and got such fun out of combining that with cooking. Now I have no qualms and love public speaking, teaching and demonstrating.”
Ageing, on the other hand, is not something to be happy about. “It’s ghastly – surely everyone wants to reverse it! But at this stage in life, I feel happy in my own skin and feel I’ve got lots of years left.
“I’m working, travel all over the place, and never say no to anything worthwhile. It’s important to enjoy yourself and never stop learning – there’s such a lot of fun learning from the young today.”
Obviously, there have been changes where health is concerned. “I’ve been big all my life and never been confident about my body image,” she says. “These days, I’m happy with myself and realise the important thing is not to feel bloated, to listen to your body, and eel comfortable in it.
“It’s not about size. I’m fit, I do exercises with my personal trainer, play table tennis and I eat well.
“I have a regime where I only eat between midday and 8pm, so it’s like fasting 16 hours a day. I feel better in myself and have loads more energy. I snack on prunes, which fill me up and I love them,
“I think you just have to enjoy yourself and be grateful. I’m always looking to the future, I’m the eternal optimist and happy-go-lucky. Of course, I’ve had my down moments but you know the old saying – ‘when you cry, you cry alone, when you’re happy the world laughs with you’.
“My humour is a bit unusual and I can usually see the funny side of things. I’m an eccentric, largerthan-life character. I hope people would say that I’m a nice, kind person who loves life. I’m happiest when I’m cooking, teaching and demonstrating – my total passion – and when I’m with my two children and grandchildren.”
Having had such a full life so far, are there and regrets?
“I totally regret that I didn’t have any confidence in myself when I was young. I felt a total failure.
“I wish I’d known everything would work out. Every day, I try to do the right thing and want to do better. I’m a perfectionist really – never satisfied.”
■ Rosemary Shrager is working with Specsavers to raise awareness of the importance of regular eye tests.
For more information, visit specsavers.co.uk