Under the microscope
ACTOR Simon Williams, 74, answers our health quiz
CAN YOU RUN UP THE STAIRS?
YES. I walk around five miles a day with our cockapoo, Gus. My wife Lucy, 73, and I also go for bike rides. We take sandwiches and cycle for two or three hours.
GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?
CERTAINLY. I start with muesli and fruit, then have a salad for lunch.
EVER DIETED?
NOT seriously. I am 6 ft 3 in and 14 st (89kg). Now and then I cut down on chocolate biscuits. I’ve a sweet tooth. There is no point in having just one Jaffa Cake.
POP ANY PILLS?
I TAKE amlodipine for high blood pressure and health supplements such as turmeric (a natural antiinflammatory), vitamin C for the immune system and, in winter, I take extra vitamin D.
ANY FAMILY AILMENTS?
MY MOTHER had emphysema. She had smoked, but stopped for the last 20 years of her life. She died in 1993, aged 78. My father died of peritonitis at 65, in 1969 — which felt old in those days.
HAD ANYTHING REMOVED?
I HAD bowel cancer, and some of my colon was successfully removed about five years ago. I encourage anyone who gets the testing kit in the post to do it; I had no symptoms, but that was how I found out. I also had my right hip replaced four years ago, and I broke my left leg last year.
ALTERNATIVE REMEDIES?
I AM a big fan of CBD oil, which I find good for sleep.
EVER BEEN DEPRESSED?
NO. I think the world can be divided into people who lean towards happiness and those who can’t. I am lucky that my default position is to be happy.
EVER HAVE PLASTIC SURGERY?
I HAVE a horror of the knife. I leave the surgery for essentials.
HANGOVER CURE?
I HAVEN’T had a drink for ten years — no big reason, I just feel better without it — and have as much fun when stone-cold sober.
WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE?
I’M WRITING an adaptation of an Andre Gide novel and the occasional column for The Oldie magazine, so I lie there listening to the owls hooting and thinking about things to write.
ANY PHOBIAS?
VERTIGO! At 6 ft 3 in I’m already high enough for my liking.
LIKE TO LIVE FOR EVER?
I’D LIKE to live somewhere between tomorrow and for ever.
Simon plays Justin Elliott in Radio 4’s The Archers.