Under the microscope
Singer and presenter Aled Jones, 45, answers our health quiz CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?
YES, I can — I feel fitter now than I have for a while. For several years I’ve been working out two to three times a week and I play tennis for an hour each week. I used to play loads as a child and then I let it go, but I’ve been getting back into it. It’s something I can do with my kids, Emilia, who’s 14, and ten-year-old Lucas. I also use my local park to do weight training and a bit of running. I’m normally very consistent — I only slack when I’m touring.
GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?
USUALLY. I start my day with a fresh juice made from celery, beetroot, cucumber, and avocado. I did a juice diet two years ago, which involves just having juices and no solid food for a month and I lost 2st. My weight had crept up in my 30s and I realised I had to do something after seeing a tweet that suggested I had ‘eaten the snowman’. I now eat healthily Monday to Friday, but at the weekend I eat what I want and wash it down with wine because I don’t drink in the week.
WORST ILLNESS?
FOUR years ago I got a painful chest and throat infection that inflamed my vocal cords and it was the first time I really couldn’t sing. I had to cancel some concerts, sadly. Doctors put a camera through my nose to look at my vocal cords but they never pinpointed an exact cause. Now I take Sambucol, a liquid immune-boosting supplement because it helps combat my paranoia that I’ll get ill on tour again.
ANY INJURIES?
NINE years ago, I partially ruptured my Achilles tendon. I was on stage during the final dress rehearsal for my first pantomime at Richmond in London, and another dancer’s heel went into my left ankle and the Achilles popped. It was horrendously painful. I went straight to hospital but luckily there was a tiny thread of tendon still attached, which grew back eventually. They put me in a cast, but that makes you more susceptible to deep vein thrombosis. Unfortunately, I got one after a few weeks and my leg started to swell. As a result, I was put on blood-thinning warfarin for three months. It took 16 weeks to learn to walk properly again.
EVER BEEN DEPRESSED?
I LOVE doing what I do so that helps me stay cheery and positive. I used to worry a lot, but I’ve got better at keeping things in check as I’ve got older.
WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?
I’M A really good sleeper unless I’ve drunk too much wine. My bedtime can vary a lot, but inevitably as soon as my head hits the pillow I’m out. When I did Daybreak, I had very early mornings, around 4.15am. By Friday, I was a grumpy sod.
ANY PHOBIAS?
AS I’VE hit my 40s, I’ve found that I’m not keen on heights. I’m absolutely fine flying, but when I visited Berlin and went up their famous television tower, the Fernsehturm, my legs started shaking.
LIKE TO LIVE FOR EVER?
IF I was healthy and had all my faculties, then why not? I enjoy the life I lead and I’d love to be around for my kids and their kids. aLeD’s new album one Voice is out now on Classic FM/Decca.