OK! life lessons
The adventurer and Tv presenter, 47, on his secret passion, The lessons his parents Taught him and The most magical day of his life
Not a lot of people know this but I’m very good at…
interior design. It’s my secret passion when I’m not out and about. I love designing interiors of houses, collecting old pieces of furniture and art. I do help other people now as they’ve liked what I’ve done with my house. My style is very much upcycling – taking things that other people might not consider beautiful pieces and turning them into more interesting furniture.
My perfect Sunday is…
being outside, walking with family and the dogs. It would hopefully be sunny. I love sitting near the coast on a cliff somewhere watching the sun go down. There’s something about oceans and sunsets that I find magical.
I love watching…
nature documentaries with my kids. On Sunday nights, our tradition is a documentary dinner. We eat something like melted cheese on toast or pizza while watching a nature documentary.
The best day of my life was…
when myself and my wife Marina’s first child Ludo was born. That was magical. That’s not saying that his sister [Iona] wasn’t equally amazing, but when your first child is born it changes everything and it’s such an extraordinary, lifechanging moment.
My last holiday was…
to Austria, where my wife is from. We spend a lot of time out in the mountains in the summer. We’ve got extended family out there and the children love it as they speak German. It’s the one holiday we always really look forward to.
The best thing my parents taught me was…
to be kind and generous – I like to think I try to be both of those things. I try to pass it down to my own children too, especially in current times kindness is more important than ever.
The first record I bought was…
by a band called Scritti Politti but I don’t remember the name of the song.
A shop I can’t walk past is…
antique and second-hand shops. My passion for interior design means I love them. Most of my clothes and our furniture comes from second hand or antique shops.
If I had half an hour left on Earth I would…
hold my family very close to me and see a setting sun.
If I could pass any law…
Every council has their own rules when it comes to recycling, making it really confusing for the general public. I actually worked with Cushelle recently for the launch of its new Double Roll toilet tissue packaging, made from 85% recycled and renewable materials. Research showed that 86% of Brits think councils should be clearer about what can or can’t be recycled. My council for instance doesn’t accept paper, so we take certain items like that, or like soft plastic packaging, to our supermarket, as they accept bits that our council doesn’t. I think councils need to make it easier for people to recycle, otherwise how much of a difference is it actually making?
‘kindness is more important than ever’