Under the microscope
CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?
YES I can, but certainly not at any great speed with my knees. The right knee will only bend to a certain point these days after however many knee injuries and surgeries. My fitness regimen consists mainly of walking the dog [a nine-year-old French bulldog called Monty]. I like to walk. I’m along the coast from Brighton.
GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?
I TRY. I am mindful of my intake. At home, in my kitchen, I’ve got avocados, peppers, garlic, onions and carrots, and there are greens in the fridge.
EVER DIETED?
NO, but I’m probably carrying a few extra pounds. I weigh around 12st to 12st 6lb. My height is probably starting to shrink slightly as I get older but I was 6ft tall. I was always the skinny string bean, as one reporter called me back in the day.
ANY VICES?
I DON’T really count these as vices but I suppose I do enjoy a lovely gin and tonic and an occasional martini, or there’s wine and beer — but not all in the same night, I hasten to add. I’m also rather partial to Lindt chocolate.
WORST ILLNESS/ACCIDENT?
ABOUT a year ago I had a run-in with some skin cancer — a mole, which has all been taken care of. I suppose the most important one would have been the second knee surgery, aged 17 (I had a similar operation at 15, to remove torn cartilage) when the doctor said: ‘So what are you going to do if your career is over?’ And my answer, very bluntly, was: ‘It can’t be over because I haven’t had one yet.’ I had an osteotomy in the 2000s — basically where they straighten the leg and take the pressure off the knee joints. I was incredibly bow-legged when I was skating and then I had cartilage surgery, but my knees have survived in a way that has allowed me to be on the ice. I still get on the ice now, but do I jump and twirl? Absolutely not.
POP ANY PILLS?
I TAKE a multivitamin supplement for people over a certain age.
COPE WELL WITH PAIN?
I THINK I have a higher pain threshold than most and I think that comes from starting at a very young age to throw my body into the air while not necessarily knowing how it was going to come down.
EVER BEEN DEPRESSED?
UPSET, yes. Angry at myself over a performance that wasn’t up to par, or one that was really good that I didn’t get scored for properly. But I can’t say I’ve ever known true depression.
ANY PHOBIAS?
GRUBS and creepy crawlies. I suppose the major one would be snakes.
LIKE TO LIVE FOR EVER?
I SUPPOSE only if my loved ones and family were doing likewise.
THE Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games continue on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, radio and online until February 20.