Linda Barker on Dr Google, cold water swimming and healthy eating

Interior designer, writer and presenter Linda Barker, 61, who starred in home makeover show Changing Rooms, now presents Changing Wombs, an online menopause series.

Do you get your five a day?

And more – I’m naturally driven to salady stuff and I sometimes have a green juice in the morning. If I’m hungry after a meal I’ll have a fruit salad. For a quick lunch I’ll blitz stuff in the fridge like cabbage, broccoli, courgette and add stock. So I eat a lot of vegetables.

Ever had surgery?

I tore my anterior cruciate ligament and had an arthroscopy to see what was wrong with it. I damaged it skiing years ago – they put a big Velcro support bandage on it and told me to get it investigated when I got back to the UK. When I got back I found out I was pregnant so didn’t do anything about the knee and got on with my pregnancy.

Years later when I was doing the TV show Splash! where I’d get physio every day by the side of the pool, the physiotherapist said there was something going on with my knee and it should be looked at. So I had an arthroscopy, which revealed damage under my kneecap. It had completely torn and had attached itself to a different part of the knee.

What’s the state of it now?

They just cleared the damage out from my knee and told me not to run again. I didn’t mind not running again. I haven’t had anything else done to it.

Ever exceed NHS 14-unit weekly drinking guidelines?

Not often. I’ll have a couple of glasses of wine a week. Drinking made the anxiety, hot flushes and brain fog of the menopause worse so there’s not much point.

Do you Google symptoms?

I Google the heck out of everything. When I went through the menopause there weren’t a lot of high-profile women talking about it, as there are now, so I looked for information online. Knowledge is key.

Investigating my symptoms in my forties helped confirm I was in the perimenopause. I’ve always been interested in health so I’m always looking for the latest science-based information.

The current ongoing dialogue around menopause is great – it’s a well-discussed topic now – whereas when I was having the perimenopause I looked up a lot of information for myself about HRT, natural remedies, hair loss, brain fog and so on. A lot of issues can be linked to menopause. It’s certainly more discussed now and I really applaud that.

What’s your regular exercise?

I’ve had the same personal trainer for 18 years. I used to see him at the gym twice a week but now I do it on Zoom. I do yoga three times a week, plus cardio and a bit of weight training..My mum had osteoporosis so weight training is good for me.

Have you ever dieted?

I’ve been going on juice retreats for 12 years. It’s quite a lot of exercise – yoga, weights, swimming – and you have nothing but juice for a week. Afterwards I feel on top of the world, bouncing around. Your skin is glowing, you’re vibrating good health, and people notice and ask you where you’ve been. It’s like a reboot.

How do you look after your mental health?

Cold water swimming really helps my mental health and physical wellbeing. I swim three times a week in a lake near my house. When it froze over we broke the ice and swam anyway. It’s very addictive. I feel great afterwards. I last around ten minutes in the winter but the more you do it, the more time you add. I’m very careful, I go with a group and we don’t take any risks.

Do you get enough sleep?

I generally sleep well but during my perimenopause sleep was in issue. I kept getting strong cramps in my legs. I tried to find natural remedies as a lot of the symptoms can be helped by improving your diet and lifestyle. Now I’m a good sleeper and love going to bed. I get at least eight hours a night.

Linda presents Changing Wombs with hygiene and health company Essity.

MORE : Brits top of charts for healthy hearts

MORE : What your sleeping position with a partner says about your health