DAILY BREAD / What the host of ITV's 'Supermarket Sweep' ate one day last week

I'M extremely ritualistic about my diet; six years ago I was 18 stone. I watch my diet very closely and am hysterical when it comes to food. When I got up, I felt I couldn't face the world without three very strong cups of coffee: I had it with a teaspoon of milk - skimmed milk - and two Candarel. After this I took a vitamin pill which I have been taking for 15 years. Barbara Cartland got me into it; she says it breaks up the fat consumed during the day. I also took my daily vitamin E pill, the vitamin of life. I vary the dosage because the body becomes immune to it. At the moment I am taking 450mg and will increase this to 1,000 and then go down to 150.

I always have fruit in the house, which I buy from Berwick Street market in Soho. This morning for breakfast I had one pear, six apricots and a couple of satsumas. Mid-morning I had six crackers with Tesco low-fat spread and honey - but that was all right because they are only 141 2 calories each. It's important to be serious about diet; I believe in talking to food when I'm feeling guilty about it. At the moment I have an obsession with Cadbury's Caramel bars, so I might spit out the food and shout at it. I had to eat something mid-morning because I went for a run and needed energy (I never go to the gym because I think it makes people anally retentive). At 1.30 I had a mixture of Bran Flakes and bite-sized Shreddies, sprinkled with powdered Candarel and milk warmed up in the microwave for two minutes; this makes it mushy and more sustaining. I had another cup of coffee - not decaffeinated. I had nothing in the afternoon, but went out at about 10pm to Kensington Place, where the food is always excellent. I had a Caesar salad, the best in London. It is quite fattening, with delicious fresh anchovies. I asked for bread immediately and had butter, which is unusual. My dining partner and I shared a bottle of Vino Carmen Cabernet Sauvignon between us. I was so hungry I then had the mixed grill. I believe you need a good steak every now and then. It came with bubble and squeak, and afterwards I tucked into my partner's mashed potato and green beans. I couldn't resist the chocolate pudding, and I had some of my companion's pastry pancake too. I also drank three cups of coffee, and had a Tia Maria to finish. Finally, at home I had a cup of tea before going to bed, with milk but no sweetener.

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