Under the microscope

Singer and TV personality Peter Andre, 51, answers our health quiz

CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?

YES! Staying active is great for me mentally and physically — and means I can eat more of what I like. Back in the 1990s, I trained to look a certain way [with a six-pack] when I was touring and partying. Now I do it to feel good. I’ve been doing a form of highintensity interval training since I was 16. Now that I’ve got five children [his wife Emily gave birth to a girl recently], I have to take better care of myself. I was brought down to earth by my seven-year-old son, Theo, the other day who declared, ‘Dad, you used to have abs!’

GET YOUR FIVE-A-DAY?

ABSOLUTELY, my main joy in life after my family is food. But if I had to watch everything I eat, how miserable would I be? I follow an ‘it’s fine’ diet — as in everything is fine. If I pig out one day, I just eat a little less the next. Given Emily’s long hours as an NHS doctor, I do most of the cooking at home.

ANY VICES?

CHOCOLATE! And at 4pm, I’ll have a coffee and a cake or pastry. Every day is a cheat day for me.

ANY FAMILY AILMENTS?

MY MUM Thea is 87 and sadly has Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. I worry every day because it’s so cruel. She lives on the Gold Coast in Australia with my dad, who’s 90. It was difficult to leave them in October when I visited. High blood pressure and cholesterol run in my family.

WORST ILLNESS/INJURY?

I HAD meningitis in 2006, and in 2010 I had kidney stones that required surgery. My wife’s dad was my surgeon, so I can thank him for meeting her!

POP ANY PILLS?

ONLY a liquid multivitamin with collagen for skin health, and vitamin D because low levels are linked to depression and anxiety.

EVER HAVE PLASTIC SURGERY?

I HAD my nose done [in my 20s] as I was self-conscious about it.

COPE WELL WITH PAIN?

I’M A complete wuss.

EVER BEEN DEPRESSED?

I HAD serious mental health problems in the 1990s at the peak of my fame, so I dropped out of public life for treatment. It was a horrific time. Therapy and medication gave me relief.

HANGOVER CURE?

BLACK coffee!

LIKE TO LIVE FOREVER?

MAYBE it’s my religious upbringing [Catholic], but I like the idea of living forever.