under the microscope
CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?
YES — I feel pretty fit for my age. Having said that I’ll probably keel over now. I’ve always been pretty sporty, playing football when I was younger and going cross-country running. I play tennis several times a week with a coach, and I always stride up and down when I’m on the phone.
GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?
VERY easily, which I know makes me sound self-righteous. I don’t eat much meat, and in my 30s and 40s I was vegetarian because I felt it was healthier. Now I like nothing better than the occasional delicious steak at the nearby pub. I eat some fish and very little other meat.
ANY VICES?
I HAVE a real weakness for red wine and chocolate. On Friday afternoons, until after BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions?, my mind is on the large bar of milk chocolate I’ll scoff in the car on the way home. If I were left alone, it would be like a scene out of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory . . .
ANY FAMILY AILMENTS?
MY FATHER, the broadcaster Richard Dimbleby, died of testicular cancer at 52. Father told us when he was diagnosed, which was five years before he died and I was only 16. I think that was a really good decision, as cancer was still a taboo word in those days. He was one of the first public figures in Britain to say that he had it.
COPE WELL WITH PAIN?
I LIKE to think I’m quite brave. But I can get morose if I’ve been suffering from man flu and I don’t get much sympathy. These days, though, I have an annual flu jab so that doesn’t really happen.
ANY INJURIES?
IN MY late teens I had to have my nose reconstructed after I was whacked full force with an opponent’s hockey stick. Then 20 years ago, playing tennis, I suddenly felt as if I’d been shot in the back of my calf. I was taken to hospital, misdiagnosed with a ruptured Achilles tendon and prepped for surgery, then informed that I’d only torn the muscles.
HAD ANYTHING REMOVED?
I’D HAD chronic pain in my hips for a long time, so 12 years ago I had my hip resurfaced [where worn bone is removed and the remaining bone is covered with metal]. I had the other one done eight years ago. Before then, my back would seize up or spasm. I went to chiropractors and physios, and finally one said: ‘I think it’s your hip.’ The surgery made a huge difference. I felt like a new man.
USE ALTERNATIVE REMEDIES?
I’VE had acupuncture for tennis elbow and it relieved the pain briefly. We shouldn’t dismiss it outright, but it didn’t give me long-term relief.
EVER GET DEPRESSED?
I VEER from being extremely positive when things are going well to feeling pretty pessimistic. I would like to have greater stability between the two, though I’ve never been diagnosed with clinical depression.
ANY PHOBIAS?
ONLY extremely rude people!
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To CELEBRATE the 50th anniversary of Dimbleby Cancer Care, Jonathan is taking part in Walk50 — a 50km night-time walk through London in June. dimblebycancercare.org/events
Interview by SARAH EWING