Under the microscope

CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?

DEFINITELY. I went to the gym four times a week until I fell during a seizure and fractured vertebrae in my neck a year ago. I couldn’t lift anything for 18 weeks and had upper body muscle wastage, but my legs are fine.

GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?

YES. Two of the things I love the most — cabbage and sprouts — are two of the things I used to hate.

EVER DIETED?

NO. Diet is not a word I like. I weigh 12st 5lb and I’m 6ft 3in tall.

POP ANY PILLS?

I TAKE a probiotic every morning. I became interested in gut health after developing digestive problems following a hernia op in April 2017.

WORST INJURY?

IN 2013 I was crossing the road when a people carrier hit me. I ended up with a compression fracture from my left knee to my ankle.

EVER FELT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH HAS SUFFERED?

I HAD therapy for depression following the loss of my father to suicide in 2008, and the car accident in 2013. Seeing a psychologist has helped massively.

HAD ANYTHING REMOVED?

MY teeth were so crooked I had the four front ones replaced with implants when I was 27.

ANY PHOBIAS?

IT’S not a phobia, but I’m probably most scared of parts of me that I don’t really like. I try my best not to lose my temper now.

COPE WELL WITH PAIN?

IF I CUT the end of my finger, say, I’ll whinge, but if something severe happens I just handle it.

TRIED ALTERNATIVE REMEDIES?

I HAD acupuncture to help my stomach [after the hernia operation] but it made me moody. LIKE my mum, I have haemophilia, factor VII [a blood clotting disorder]. I can’t take aspirin.

EVER HAVE PLASTIC SURGERY?

NO. Trends change — people are going to be stuck with stuff they’ve done that they can’t undo.

IS SEX IMPORTANT?

YES. Intimacy is very important.

WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT?

I ONCE had sleep paralysis [a temporary inability to move or speak upon waking]. It was one of the most petrifying things I’ve ever experienced.

LIKE TO LIVE FOR EVER?

THE state the world is in at the moment? Quite possibly not.