From http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1218381/Under-microscope-Comedian-Graeme-Garden.html :

Under the microscope: Sex can't be that important or nuns would all be unhealthy, says Graeme Garden Last updated at 10:22 AM on 06th October 2009


Comedian Graeme Garden, who made his name as one of the Goodies and more recently as a permanent member of BBC radio's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue panel, reveals his vices, ailments and the day he would like to re-live.

ANY VICES?
Until a few years ago, smoking and drinking. I used to smoke up to 40 a day and quit only because I was going to Australia and didn't know how I'd last the 24-hour flight. Giving up wasn't easy, but I got some patches and have never been tempted since.

Then, during a check-up, I had a heart rhythm condition diagnosed and was advised not to overdo it on the drink front, so I thought I might as well give up drinking, too. I pretty much stopped overnight and don't miss it.

POP ANY PILLS?
I take one of those 'everything in one' vitamin pills every day. No idea if it works.

ANY FAMILY AILMENTS?

My father had the same heart rhythm condition as me, and then had a stroke and died at 70. But medicine has come along a bit since those days. What's more, he didn't take an aspirin a day to thin the blood and reduce the chance of clotting, like we all do now.

IS SEX IMPORTANT?

It's certainly exercise. If you have a happy sex life, I'm sure it's good for you. But I don't think that monks and nuns are particularly unhealthy, are they?

EVER BEEN DEPRESSED? 

Not as such. Sure, there have been times when I've felt low, as we all have, and it's usually when I've had something to feel low about. The best recipe for getting out of those troughs is to do something that takes your mind off it. Fishing is therapeutic.

HAD ANYTHING REMOVED?

My left hip was replaced four years ago. It had been getting painful and was keeping me awake at night. It took a while before I could walk again, but I'm pleased with the result.

WORST ILLNESS?

Glandular fever, which I got badly as a student. It felt as if it was life-threatening, though it clearly wasn't. After a few weeks of bedrest and painkillers, I was right as rain.
In fact, I was studying medicine at the time - I qualified as a doctor before going into showbusiness.

CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT...

Oxygen springs to mind.

TRIED ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE?

I believe in alternative therapies that work, such as acupuncture - though I'm a bit sceptical about some of the reasons put forward as to why (for instance, that it's to do with secret channels of energy). But I don't like to rubbish alternative medicine too much, because believing is half the cure.

LIKE TO LIVE FOREVER?

If it meant getting older and more decrepit, the answer is 'No'. Similarly, staying at a certain age would get boring. The only deal I'd do with the devil would be to re-live the happiest day of my life. Perhaps my wedding day.

. Graeme Garen regularly appears on the Radio 4 panel show I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, which is currently on tour. For dates, visit www.isihac.net
INTERVIEW: YORK MEMBERY


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