Gene Pitney was born on February 17, 1941, and raised in the small New England village of Rockville, Connecticut. Success in his own local band Gene Pitney and the Genials led to a long and successful solo career, with hits such as 24 Hours From Tulsa and Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart.

How much sleep do you need?

"A solid eight hours. Last night I went to bed about 11.30 and about 2am I was fast asleep."

How do you feel first thing in the morning?

"Terrific. I go in the gym about three times a week and that makes all the difference in the world. The gym and then doing the show at night. I do an hour and a half on stage and that makes me sleep like a baby."

What exercise do you take?

"The gym is pretty extensive. At home I have a personal trainer so I start with the aerobics side of it and then I go into upper body, lower body, I use free weights as well as machines and then I do an extra 25 minutes at the end of the set as well. If anyone had told me you could do an hour and a half in the gym and then feel better for doing an hour and a half on stage, I would have said you're crazy. I used to do 45 minutes and come off sweating like crazy and breathing hard. I don't have any problem with anything now."

Are you careful about what you eat?

"I'm careful but apparently I'm lucky because I like good things. I eat an awful lot of fish, a lot of chicken. I eat meat maybe once a week. That's probably the only thing I do try to stay clear of. I eat a lot of vegetables, fruit and nuts."

Are you or have you ever been overweight?

"I was overweight for my size back in the 1970s. I had a round chipmunk-type face. I was lucky because my sons gave me a six-month membership for the gym and six months with a personal trainer which I would never have done on my own. After I started working with them I found out I'm pretty disciplined and you can push yourself pretty good but a trainer pushes you just that much further."

Do you take vitamin and mineral pills?

"I take about 20 a day. I take a Solgar multivitamin, C in the morning, primrose oil. I have two big boxes that I bring with me on tour. One is the morning container and one is the afternoon. I know one day customs is going to stop me with all these multicoloured pills in there."

Do you drink or smoke too much?

"I don't smoke at all. I hope when I die it's from drowning in a bath of Cabernet Sauvignon. The only thing is I can't drink when I'm doing the tour because I don't want to take the edge off. I have to leave it until a day off to have a bottle of wine."

Do you catch a cold most winters?

"This past winter I had one of the worst upper bronchial colds I've had in years. My wife said to me, 'You're lucky you're in the shape that you're in'. It didn't affect me other than congestion. It was almost like pneumonia. Normally no. I don't catch a cold at all."

What foods can't you bear to eat?

"I can't eat duck because I'm allergic to it. I drink skimmed milk, I think because someone else in the house was using it. I use sugar only in coffee. I use very little butter and I don't use mayonnaise or anything like that."

Do you think you suffer from stress?

"When you finish this show at the end of the evening and sleep like a baby then no. It's the way you want it to be."

Does your job affect your health?

"I think you learn to take care of yourself. You learn what the best things are for you so you can function at your optimum level and I think that if I didn't have the demands of what I'm doing on the road or in the studio, I know what I have to do to feel my best."

How often do you consult your doctor?

"Just for physicals. Probably once a year."

Do you look after your skin?

"I've always used Clarins moisturiser, and a foaming cleanser which I'm a big believer in. I think a lot of men shy away from it because they think men shouldn't use it. But the way the air is today, especially in major cities, every guy should use some kind of a moisturiser."

Are you happy with your body?

"Yes. For my age. I'm 62. If I can keep it this way for as long as I can I'll be a happy man."