Under the microscope

UB40 singer Ali Campbell, 58, answers our health quiz

CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?

YES. I’m on the road a lot doing two-hour shows so I’m active. I’ve got a stationary bike that I do 20km on several times a week. I’m a couch potato by nature and I love watching telly, so at least if I’m on my bike at the same time I don’t feel so guilty.

GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?

I DO try. I’ve had type 2 diabetes for a few years, so eating healthily is important. I was quite heavily into juicing, having a couple of pints of something like carrot, apple and ginger a day, thinking I was being super-healthy. But I was having so much fruit sugar that it made my diabetes worse, so I scaled it back.

ANY VICES?

CHOCOLATE, especially Maltesers.

EVER DIETED?

I’VE always worried about my weight, partly because I used to be a heavy drinker. I was hypnotised 15 years ago and had aversion therapy, where I had to visualise a giant ten-pint glass getting more and more disgusting. I haven’t drunk clear beer since, but I still have the occasional Guinness. I’m 5ft 8in and about 14½ stone.

ANY FAMILY AILMENTS?

TYPE 2 diabetes. My mum’s got it too.

WORST ILLNESS?

MY DIABETES, because I’ve never had any symptoms (it was diagnosed by a random blood test), and I’m never really sure if I’m managing it right.

WORST INJURY?

ON MY 17th birthday I got caught in the middle of a fight and was hit with a glass — I had 90 stitches on the left side of my face. I used my criminal injuries compensation to start UB40.

TAKE ANY SUPPLEMENTS?

AT THE moment, I’m drinking fresh or powdered turmeric in hot water every morning. A friend in California swears by it. I’ve also heard it can help type 2 diabetes by reducing blood sugar levels.

EVER HAVE PLASTIC SURGERY?

NO. I don’t want to look the same as everyone else.

EVER BEEN DEPRESSED?

I’M PRETTY positive but I used to get SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Even as a child, I’d get very depressed because of the dark winters and horrid yellow lighting inside. It’s part of the reason I moved to Jamaica for 17 years in the Eighties. It made a huge difference. I live in Christchurch, Dorset, by the sea now. I still get SAD but it’s nowhere near as bad as it was.

WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE?

NOTHING, I sleep like a brick.

BIGGEST PHOBIA?

MY ONLY fear is going on stage and everyone ignoring me.

LIKE TO LIVE FOR EVER?

Ub40 featuring ali Campbell, astro and mickey have a new album, Unplugged + Greatest hits, out now on Universal, price £9.99.