My Health

NELL McAndrew was born in 1973 in Leeds. She rose to fame as a Page Three girl and model promoting the video game Tomb Raider II. She also appeared in Five's version of It's A Knockout and the 2002 hit, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Her new video, Peak Energy, is on general release in the UK on VHS and DVD priced at £12.99 and £16.99 respectively.

How much sleep do you need?

''I need more sleep as I get older. I only had about seven hours last night but I like to try and get eight.''

How do you feel first thing in the morning?

''I am not a morning person at all. I'm just really quiet and my boyfriend says that I'm like a cave woman - I grunt around a bit and don't speak. Once I've had my bath though I feel great. To get ready I usually need about 40 minutes. If I'm doing a shoot, it's even less.''

What exercise do you take?

''I usually try to exercise about five times a week, depending on how I'm feeling. If I'm a bit run down and tired, I take that day off and let my body recuperate. I do a lot of gym, boxing, a good half-hour run, a mixture of weights and I work my stomach every day while listening to great upbeat dance music.''

Are you careful about what you eat?

''Within reason. I do generally like food like casseroles, pasta and fruit so I suppose that I do eat healthily. I never crave junk food but my worst vices are chocolate, red wine and champagne.''

Are you or have you ever been overweight?

''I've never been overweight but, in the past, I've felt that I have put weight on. At one time I had been in Milan for about a week and the agency that I was with said they wanted me to lose weight. They measured my thighs and hips and decided they didn't want me to go on too many castings until I was slimmer. Luckily I was staying with a girl from New York who had the same problem and we would get really depressed about it so we used to sneak off to the cafe across the road and eat apple pies in secret. I came back from there not feeling my best so I started running in the local park every day and I dropped it in a couple of weeks. Running really is the best way to lose weight.''

Do you take vitamin and mineral pills?

''At the moment I am trying out Perfectil For Skin, Hair and Nails for a change. Usually I take Solgar multivitamins, vitamin B and C and zinc. I read in a magazine that maybe I could try magnesium which is meant to be good if you have a very hectic, stressful life.''

What food can't you bear to eat?

''Seafood. I can't eat mussels or anything like that because of the texture. My friend once ordered lobster and I heard it all crunching when you pull its legs off and I just don't think I could do it. It's all a bit fiddly and messy. I was almost sick when I tried whitebait with all those eyes staring up at me.''

Do you drink or smoke too much?

''I don't smoke. I do drink and any medium-bodied red wine just from the supermarket is my favourite.''

Have you ever been in hospital?

''I have had my tonsils out. I also had all four wisdom teeth out in hospital.''

Does your job affect your health?

''Definitely. Because I have to wear a lot of swimwear, sportswear or underwear on shoots it forces me to go to the gym whether I like it or not.''

How often do you consult your doctor?

''Never. I'm terrible. In fact, I don't even know my new doctor's name.''

Do you catch a cold most winters?

''I usually do yes but lately I've been really healthy. It's hard not to sometimes, especially in this country, but I take vitamin C all year round and I think that really helps.''

Do you think you suffer from stress?

''I do get stressed sometimes but that's a great reason for going to the gym for me to calm my mind. Only because I am the sort of person that gets really passionate about things and I'm a perfectionist.''