As the Six Nations tournament reaches its second weekend, Matt Dawson, former rugby star and captain on BBC’s Question Of Sport, talks about fatherhood, the UK’s obesity levels and how he hopes to beat a family history of bowel cancer

MATT Dawson has just become a father for the second time and is glowing with that new Dad pride. “Family is the core of my life,” the former rugby player grins, cuddling Sam, born a week ago, and keeping an eye on blondhaired toddler, Alex, 20 months, dashing about nearby.

During his sporting career, Dawson, 41, notched up many achievements – winning the Rugby World Cup, captaining his country, touring with the British Lions and becoming England’s most capped scrum-half. But he freely admits that fatherhood has been perhaps the life-changing journey.

“Fatherhood’s been such a great experience. It’s been a long time coming as I’m a slightly older dad, but it’s absolutely great,” he says.

Married to German-born former model, Carolin Hauskeller, 40, the couple’s sons were both born at home, which was “fantastic as I could be really involved”.

That involvement has clearly deepened ever since. “Being a dad has given me a different perspective and drives me on to work harder. No matter what happens in life or how tired or stressed you can get at times, it’s always wonderful to come home.

“Alex is a fantastic little boy, so full of energy and can always make my wife and I smile and laugh, and he bonds us together. Now we have his little brother too.”

One of the first lessons he’ll be teaching the brothers is the importance of a healthy diet. The winner of Celebrity Masterchef in 2006 and a selfconfessed “foodie”, Dawson is fervent in his belief that it’s never too early to teach children the importance of having “the right fuel” inside us.

“You need to teach youngsters from the beginning what that is, so they get good food habits. From the recent research it appears that the less sugar, salt and fat you have, the less your body craves it, and I’d agree with that,” says Dawson, who has launched his own range of superfoods for Bioglan.

“I do a lot of the cooking at home, and encourage Alex to help me. I’m definitely going to try to keep my sons away from any junk food,” he says.

“One of the priorities when you have children is to ensure they get the proper nutrients so they’ve got the best possible chance of being full of energy and capable of thinking, playing, and interacting.”

“Also, I’ve had my fair share of sleepless nights with Alex,” he adds wryly, “and I think getting diet right is key in helping kids sleep calmly and well.”

His views could not be more timely, with a new report by Public Health England revealing that 63.8 per cent of adults in England – and two thirds in County Durham – are overweight or obese.

Dawson believes the problem of obesity is mainly unnecessary. “People say it is too time-consuming or expensive to eat properly, but if you stock the larder and fridge with good ingredients, go to markets for fruit and vegetables instead of the supermarket, and make food in bulk and freeze it you can reduce costs and make it easy to eat well.

“A good breakfast gives you a solid boost of energy and stops you spending money on caffeine, sweets or chocolate.”

HIS healthy-eating philosophy is rooted in his own childhood, but it’s something that became even more vital because of his family history of bowel cancer. His grandfather died of the disease when Dawson was a teenager and his mother Lois, 64, was diagnosed in 2007.

“Fortunately, my mother is well and recovered following that very frightening experience. Because of that strong history – having two ‘first degree’ relatives diagnosed – it does mean I am more at risk than others.

“Being a dad has made me even more aware of the need to take care of myself for their sakes. I take the view that it’s always better to know if something is wrong and so I have regular screening.

This year, I’ll have a full body MoT, which gives me peace of mind. Those check-ups should improve the chance of finding out sooner rather than later if there is a problem. Bowel cancer is very treatable if caught in the early stages.”

He believes another way to reduce his risk of developing the cancer – on top of his already healthy diet (little red meat and five-a-day fruit and vegetable- based smoothies) – is staying in shape.

“I don’t want to flog myself in the gym any more, because I did that throughout my playing career and it would eat into the time I want to spend with my family and friends. So I cycle, play golf and walk as much as I can. Getting active can be achieved by even small changes to a routine, such as getting off a train or bus a few stops early and going on foot.”

Walking into a new career after rugby seemed equally easy for Dawson. Shortly after he stopped playing, he came second in Strictly Come Dancing in 2006, the same year he won Celebrity Masterchef.

His passion for food has since led to roles presenting food-based shows, and he currently presents the Good Food channel’s Monster Munchies series.

“I don’t miss playing rugby because I’m so busy.

Also, I have no regrets about anything that happened during my career, which I think helps,” he says.

  • Matt Dawson’s Bioglan Superfoods range, natural food products formulated with essential nutrients and antioxidants, from £8.99 for 100g, from Holland & Barrett and bioglan.co.uk