My husband, Hal, gave me the courage to try something different. I’d desperately wanted to be a singing sensation but having a happy family life would have taken priority at some point during my career. When I moved back to the countryside, I pursued my love of gardening and took a City & Guilds course in plants and plant design — it has all just gone from there.

Gardening — good for the soul, bad for the back?

I’ve always had a problem with my lower back and it was exacerbated when I had children. Then when I started gardening I stupidly did things like picking up wheelbarrows full of rubble and walking them up scaffolding planks to empty into skips, which certainly didn’t help, particularly as my hip was quite painful too.

So green tea or your GP?

I had my breakthrough when I went on Celebrity Detox Camp in Thailand for Five last year. Before I went I was susceptible to bronchial problems and my body felt as if it was falling to bits. After a week of drinking only supplement-loaded liquids, coconut juice at lunchtime and consommé in the evening, I came home feeling 20 years younger, a stone lighter and free of pain.

Sounds similar to the David Blaine method

It was enlightening and liberating.

Did you feel the power too?

Absolutely. I had these intense massages every day for about two to three hours. The masseuse would press her hand right into my abdomen, almost as if she was touching the base of my spine. I also did this fantastic energising power yoga which isn’t dissimilar to t’ai chi, concentrating on pure energy — I really got into it.

Yes lovely, but didn’t it also involve having colonic irrigation on national TV?

I’m glad I did it, it was like having an MOT, a big old clear-out. We were taught to insert this device, similar to a knitting needle, into the bottom and lie back. I felt nauseous at first but it didn’t hurt and once the toxins were flushed out I felt fine — though I’m not in any hurry to repeat the experience.

So is your wild past catching up with you?

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