Linda Barker was born in 1961 in Yorkshire and trained as a fine artist at West Surrey College of Art and Design before becoming an interior designer. She found fame on Changing Rooms and last year survived in the Australian jungle for I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! Currently presenting With A Little Help From My Friends on ITV1, she lives in London with husband Chris Short and daughter Jessica. ********** How much sleep do you need? "I'm an eight hour girl really. I can do with less but I always need to catch up." How do you feel first thing in the morning? "Pretty good actually first thing in a morning. That's a good exercise time for me so if I've got time on my hands I will jump on the running machine for half an hour. So I usually feel quite good." What exercise do you take? "Apart from the running machine, I'll also do yoga. I walk a lot. I've got dogs so I'm quite active." Are you careful about what you eat? "I like health stuff naturally. I do exercise caution. I'm not one that can eat chips, pastry and bread all day long and it not affect me, so yeah. I've got to be careful but not to a point where it rules my life or anything." Are you or have you ever been overweight? "No, not really." Do you take vitamin and mineral pills? "No I tend not to actually. I buy them from time to time but I always forget to take them and they end up being untouched and I end up throwing them out." Do you drink or smoke too much? "I don't smoke. I don't think I drink too much. There are those days where you drink too much at a party but I think I drink about seven to 10 units a week which is not a lot really. I like wine, and Champagne. Depends what sort of mood I'm in." Do you catch a cold most winters? "No. I can't remember when I last had a cold. I haven't had one for years but having said that I'll probably get one next week." What foods can't you bear to eat? "I'm not a massive sushi fan which is bad really because it's so healthy." Do you think you suffer from stress? "No. I don't think I am a stressed person. I suppose I'm quite level-headed really. I love what I do and I think that's a lot to do with it. I'm in a place where I'm very happy at home and at work." Have you ever been in hospital? "I had massive headaches eight years ago and they couldn't explain them. That was very strange so they kept me in and 24 hours later I was a lot better. Nobody knows what it was but I couldn't be near bright lights. Very scary." Does your job affect your health? "In a good way. I'm very active and busy running around. I have to be quite fit to cope with all of that." How often do you consult your doctor? "Ooh, I haven't been to the doctors for a long time." Do you look after your skin? "I don't do anything. I wash and use moisturisers. I also drink lots of water, which is easy in the summer but in the winter I find it a real struggle." Are you happy with your body? "I don't think there's a woman alive that is. There are things that I'd change but I'm happy in it. I'm never going to be a Kate Moss or anything like that." Do you take more care of yourself as the years go by? "Definitely. I think the yoga is great for that." | 
Travel, Entertainment & leisure
Professional Services
Health
Home Style
Home Improvements
Fashion & Weddings
Gifts
