We Catch Up with Husband and Wife Health Gurus, Dr Michael Mosley and Dr Clare Bailey
They tell us what to expect from their new show
How do you view the prospect of performing live for the first time in Britain with Eat (Well), Sleep (Better), Live (Longer!)
Clare: In some ways it is quite daunting as I’m not experienced doing live shows, where anything can happen, but I am also really looking forward to it.
Michael: I first met Clare at medical school 43 years ago, and we’ve been married for 36, so I am obviously biased, but Clare's written a lot of wonderful recipe books that people love; but I suspect most people don't know that her books have sold in the millions.
Will you be cooking some of your recipes on stage, Clare?
Clare: Yes, I am really looking forward to demonstrating a couple of easy, tasty and healthy recipes on stage.
Michael: So, the idea is that Clare will be doing the demos, and I will be chatting through some of the science and interrupting. We will basically be doing it as a kind of double act. We will be like a medical version of The Hairy Bikers…
Clare: I'll also be dishing out the behind-the-scenes bits and pieces and talking about the mad things Michael does, some of which I don't approve of – like agreeing to go to Africa to grow a tapeworm in his gut, and the potential gory repercussions. That one I was not convinced by!
What did you do that for, Michael?
Michael: It was for a programme on parasites. I was interested to see what, if any, impact infecting myself with a range of parasites would have. Clare drew the line at pubic lice. She wasn’t keen on that one!
What else will you be discussing during the show?
Michael: There are four pillars to health. One of them is losing weight and then maintaining it, which is the area we're best known for. The second is obviously eating well, the third is sleeping well, and the fourth is being active. So, we're going to touch on the different ways you can do these things. As well as being an advocate of intermittent fasting and Time Restricted Eating, I’m now very well known for the podcast and book, Just One Thing. These are small changes you can make which have a really big impact on your overall health.
What do you enjoy about the live experience?
Michael: I love the audience interaction because when you're doing a podcast, or you're doing a TV show, you don't get any live response. A lot of people have questions, but many of them just want to say, “look, you changed my life in this way”. And that's lovely and very heartwarming.
Could you give us an example of the sort of heartwarming story someone’s told you about how you have changed their lives?
Michael: At the last show I did, I remember this woman came to me. She told me she'd lost about 30 kilos. She had arthritis, which has disappeared, she had psoriasis, which had disappeared, and she had type two diabetes, which had been put into remission. She had been on multiple medications and was now off everything and feeling terrific. Another woman was chatting to Clare about the fact that she had been desperately trying to get pregnant. She followed the recipes in the Fast 800 book, managed to lose about 30 kilos and became pregnant afterwards with twins. She was threatening to bring them along next time we do a show! A lot of people have relatives – mothers, fathers, husbands – whose lives have improved. Sometimes it's as simple as, “he no longer snores”!
How do you think you might close the show?
Michael: We will probably end the show by talking about the importance of relationships. There was something called the Harvard Longitudinal Study, which was the longest human study ever conducted. It began in the 1930s, and only ended when all the participants had died. What they did was track the lives of a group of young men from the age of 17 or 18. They were either at Harvard University, or from the wrong side of the tracks in Harvard. The researchers were looking at what was the most important factor in determining how long and how healthily they lived. And they concluded that it was the quality of their relationships. All the other stuff I will talk about in the show – yes, it's really important. But I do believe the most important thing is to nourish your loved ones, nourish your friends and keep them close.
