Sarah Beeny: Me And My Health

Sarah Beeny set up her own property development company at 24 with her brother and her boyfriend. She now presents Channel 4's 'Property Ladder'. She has a one-month-old baby

Would you say that you are a healthy person?

Reasonably so. I eat quite healthily - though I don't know if I eat the full five portions a day as I don't count them. Normally, I don't eat many cakes or sweets either - although I've just had a baby and during my pregnancy I was quite bad and ate what I liked. Although I must admit that being unleashed into having unlimited quantities of chocolate wasn't as exciting as I thought it was going to be.

Were you a healthy child?

Yes, I think so. Our parents didn't ever have fizzy drinks or crisps in the house - partly, I think, because they were more expensive then, so if we were hungry we were given an apple. I certainly remember an awful lot of apples in my childhood.

Do you normally take exercise?

I don't take very much. I couldn't honestly say I enjoy exercise - probably because I've never been very good at sports. I would certainly never go out of my way to do any. Although in day-to-day life you have to walk around quite a lot. I walk to the Tube and to the car. And, if I park badly, I walk to the kerb.

Would you say you cope well with stress?

Yes, until there is a lot of stress and then I don't.

What would you do to relax?

Go out to supper with friends and just drink a glass of wine. Or lots of glasses.

What are your favourite foods?

I love all forms of processed cheese, especially Dairylea. I'm not massively into sweet things, though - if it was a choice between a starter or pudding, I'd definitely go for the starter.

What raises your emotional blood pressure?

I find trying to get through to banks on the telephone is fantastically irritating. First, you have to be on hold for ages, then you are passed around a million people and give them your account details and inside leg measurements. Then, the person on the end of the phone tells you they can't help you anyway.

Do you have any health vices?

Fast food is probably my downfall: I love McDonald's and I'll probably have it about once a week. I used to smoke a lot - about 30 a day - but I gave it up when I was pregnant and haven't taken it up since.

What is in your medicine cabinet?

I have enormous quantities of drugs for absolutely everything, pills for every ailment you could imagine. Most of them are desperately out of date - I have some malaria tablets that are eight years old. But I do find it comforting to know that they are all there.

Do you use any alternative remedies?

I use aloe vera a lot, I find it absolutely amazing for all sorts of things. In particular, I find it's really good for burns or cuts. I also take homeopathic remedies like arnica sometimes.

How did you cope with your pregnancy?

I was fantastically lucky in that I had a very easy pregnancy. I complained a lot, but in reality it was fine - I didn't have morning sickness or any of the problems I know a lot of people have. Although I made up for it with the birth: I had a 50-hour labour. I had planned on having a drug-free birth, but that gave me the excuse to try all the National Health's drugs, which are all fantastic - I'd recommend the lot.