Under the microscope

FORMER England rugby player Jonny Wilkinson, 37, answers our health quiz

CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?

YES. I train most days in the gym. I tend to struggle with the idea of rest and I love testing myself. I’ll run up hills, lift weights and do lots of boxing because it engages the legs and everything else. It’s my new rugby. [He retired from professional competition two years ago.]

GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?

VERY comfortably. I love all kinds of vegetables — particularly avocado, spinach and sweet potato. My wife, Shelley, a qualified yoga teacher, is training to become a naturopathic nutritionist and is very much involved in nutritional healing.

EVER DIETED?

WHEN I was playing rugby, my body became a vehicle for taking head-on collisions, which meant I needed to be bulkier. I tried to have protein, such as eggs and meat, in every meal and had protein shakes to rebuild my muscles. If I was nervous about a game, I’d eat some dark chocolate. I’m 5 ft 10 in and weigh 13 st 9 lb — that’s 2lb lighter than when I was playing.

ANY VICES?

I HAVE a sweet tooth. My wife makes yoghurt, which I blend with avocado, blueberries and occasionally dark chocolate. It’s like a dessert.

WORST INJURY?

I’VE HAD three, all from matches. When I was 24, I fractured my neck, which resulted in paralysis of the right shoulder and upper arm. It was worrying — there was no guarantee of a full recovery — but a big op and ten months later I was back playing. When I was 26, I punctured my kidney and at 29 I tore everything in my left knee. It took nine months to recover.

COPE WELL WITH PAIN?

I COPE OK. One of the worst pains was from one of my least impressive injuries. I was 25 and a series of blows caused heavy bruising on my right arm. A solid swelling of clotted blood had calcified there into a sharp edge. If touched, I felt a stabbing pain so intense my legs gave way. I had eight weeks of rest, ice and drugs to soften it. I strapped a pad over it for every game and contact training session for the next ten years.

SLEEP WELL?

I USED to struggle with sleep and often woke in panicked states. Now I am no longer playing I sleep very well.

TRIED ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES?

YES. There is a place for medicine, but for me it needs to support and assist, not dominate the body. Essential oils have a strong role to play in maintaining skin, hair and muscles.

EVER BEEN DEPRESSED?

DEFINITELY. I haven’t hidden that fact. That’s been a large part of my journey. It has provided me with incredible space to grow and revealed a new depth to existing and performing.

BIGGEST PHOBIA?

IT USED to be spiders, but I enjoy picking them up now. I don’t know what changed.

HANGOVER CURE?

I DON’T drink. I’ve never really enjoyed it.

LIKE TO LIVE FOREVER?

WE ALREADY are — that’s part of the inner journey.

Rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson is brand ambassador for Puressentiel Muscles & Joints, puressentiel.com