EMOTIONAL TIES: DR DAWN HARPER

This Georg Jensen daisy ring is the first piece of jewellery my partner Jack [Harries] gave me when we got together four years ago. We’re very similar; we’ve been best friends for a long time.

I’ve ridden since I was seven. This painting of my horse Raffles, who died recently, is how I want to remember him – fit, young and full of spirit. When I had to do public speaking, I’d practise out loud while riding him. He knew all my secrets.

I took up cycling after I was run over in 2003 and my knee was injured. It helped me get back my strength. Every year I do a big charity ride so I’ve done thousands of miles on this bike – it’s the best thing I’ve ever bought.

I’ve always adored fashion and especially high heels – this is my favourite snakeskin pair from Sole Bliss (made with special padding so they feel like slippers). I can walk around London in them all day.

This photograph of my dad Roy, which sits in the dining room, was taken at a surprise 80th birthday party we threw for him last year. He’s such a great raconteur, he fills the room with laughter. He and my mum Ellie taught me to aim high and work hard.

My youngest son Harvey gave me this lavender-infused heatable monkey because I feel the cold. Harvey is 21; my eldest, Charlie, is 25, and Eleanor is 23. Being a mum has been the most challenging job I’ve had but it has also been the most fulfilling.

I decided to be a doctor when I was 12, after having my appendix out – I thought the doctors’ white coats were terribly glamorous. Being an NHS GP keeps me in touch with what’s really worrying people; being on TV helps me reach more people.

Jack and I love filling the house with candlelight. After eight months doing up a dilapidated barn in the middle of nowhere in the Cotswolds, we gave ourselves this large Jo Malone London candle as a new home present.

I bought my labrador from [Captain] Mark Phillips ten years ago. I called him Otter because of the way he rolled through long, wet grass when I first brought him home. Apparently, he sits patiently at the back door until I come home.

Dawn’s new book Live Well to 101: A Practical Guide to Achieving a Long and Healthy Life is published by Headline Home, price £18.99*