under the microscope

Author of Horrible Histories, Terry Deary, 69, takes our health quiz

HOW FIT ARE YOU?

I’M GOOD for my age. I run three times a week, twice with my local club and take a longer run at the weekend — I aim to cover ten miles a week. Until my 40s, I played football, and cricket into my 50s.

EVER DIETED?

YES. I started writing full-time in 1994 — by 2000, I’d put on 3 st because I was less active and snacked a lot. A friend lent me a book on the Atkins diet and I followed the no-carb, high-protein, principle of the diet, making a big effort to cut down on biscuits, bread and potatoes. Now I get my five a day and my diet is pretty healthy. This year, I’ve also lost another stone as my weight had crept up to 12 st 10 lb (I’m 6 ft). I have to be disciplined — it’s easy to eat too many carbohydrates.

BIGGEST PHOBIA?

NEWCASTLE United supporters, as I’m from Sunderland. I’m not crazy about heights, either.

ANY VICES?

I USED to drink more, but now only have a couple of pints once a week with my son-inlaw over a game of snooker, and the odd shot of whisky. I’ve never smoked, but think I’m a victim of passive smoking as my dad smoked 50 a day and my mother ten a day throughout my childhood.

HOW DID IT AFFECT YOU?

I’VE had bronchiectasis [a lung condition, which leads to a build-up of mucus and infections] all my life. My parents said it was caused by a lung infection when I was two, but I suspect passive smoking contributed. I have a weak chest and coughed a lot throughout childhood — and was diagnosed at 24 after coughing up a pint of blood. I was admitted to hospital and had a blood transfusion. Since then, occasionally I’ve coughed up a bit of blood, but nothing as worrying. I also had pneumonia 20 years ago, but that’s as serious as it got.

ANY FAMILY AILMENTS?

MY DAD died of lung cancer at 58, related to smoking. My mum’s side of the family is very healthy — she died of complications from a fall, aged 91.

POP ANY PILLS?

NO. IF you have a good diet you should get all your nutritional requirements through that. The only time I’ve taken anything is liquid cod liver oil when I had sore knees caused by running in poor-quality training shoes a few years ago. It is truly disgusting, but three spoonfuls a day sorted it out.

HAD ANYTHING REMOVED?

JUST the usual tonsils and adenoids as a child.

WOULD YOU HAVE PLASTIC SURGERY?

I ALREADY look like a Greek god.

EVER BEEN DEPRESSED?

NO, BUT I’m a pessimist rather than a depressive. My motto is: ‘Hope for the best, expect the worst, life’s a play, we are unrehearsed.’

LIKE TO LIVE FOR EVER?

NO. DEATH is the next big adventure — bring it on.

Dangerous Days on The Victorian railways: Feuds, Frauds, robberies and riots is published at £8.99 by Weidenfeld & nicolson.