Under the microscope
CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?
I CAN run up and down the stairs faster than my children — and slide down the banisters, too! I need to keep fit to do my shows. I do pilates three times a week (I have a very strong pelvic floor as a result) otherwise I’d look like a mushroom.
GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?
I’M ON the Paleo diet, so I eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. But I don’t always trust the word ‘organic’. Those foods are too expensive. It’s like eating the Prada of the food world.
EVER DIETED?
YEAH, every diet known to man. I went on a grapefruit diet 20 years ago and ended up in hospital. A few years ago, I just juiced, shovelling pounds of vegetables and fruit into a blender. I felt sick for a week. On the Paleo diet, I eat everything that once had a pulse.
ANY VICES?
I WORK really hard — but I enjoy it.
ANY FAMILY AILMENTS?
YES, mental illness. My great grandmother and great aunt suffered from ‘agitation’, as it was called, and ended up in psychiatric hospitals. When I was younger I didn’t realise my parents had mental health issues caused by their experiences in World War II. They fled the Nazis.
WORST ILLNESS?
I’VE SUFFERED depression most of my life. At times I felt so immobilised I thought there was something physically wrong. I manage it with medication and mindfulness. It led me to set up Frazzled cafes, free meetings at M&S cafes for people who feel overwhelmed. You get tea and cookies.
EVER HAVE PLASTIC SURGERY?
YES, but only for my career. Appearance counts when you’re on TV. Otherwise, I’d think it stupid.
COPE WELL WITH PAIN?
I’M TOUGH, really tough and I don’t have a lot of pain. But, if I did, I’d hit the medication pretty quick. I’m not one for sitting it out.
TRIED ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE?
YES, it’s fabulous material for my shows. I’ve tried acupuncture, herbs, flower essences and healing. I’ve also done rebirthing: they put me in a bath tub and shouted at me to go through my own birth.
HANGOVER CURE?
I DON’T really drink, apart from the occasional Martini. So, I’d just say, get a blood transfusion.
WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE?
NOT much. I sleep about ten hours. Sleep is the cure to a lot of distress.
ANY PHOBIAS?
MY BIGGEST is flying and if there’s bad turbulence you’ll find me on the ceiling. I can cope with other fears, but there’s no mental technique to stop a plane crashing.
LIKE TO LIVE FOR EVER?
YES, I don’t believe we come back and I want to carry on learning.