Sir Roger Moore, 76, gets a buzz from bee pollen and messing about in boats

Interview: Nina Myskow - Photo: Anais Brochiero/MAXPPP

Have your swashbuckling years left you shaken or stirred?

All those years of being thrown around eventually do their toll. My spine is not good and since knee surgery I can't jump around the tennis court any more. It's a bugger, not to put too fine a point on it. My one fear, when I was knighted last year, was that I wouldn't ba able to get up after I'd knelt down. I toyed with the idea of getting a choreographer in, but, in the end, I was allright.

Is it true that life gets better with age?

No a lot! Life is wonderful, old age is s***. I've always thought we should get stronger as we age, instead of the other way round. Friends say I'm a hyponcondriac just think they're sick. I know I am.

How fit are you these days?

I used to do a 45-minute workout every morning at home - running on the spot, all of that. Now I just do arm-swinging movements, stretching, and walk and swim a little. My wife Kristina and I go out on the boat most days in Monte Carlo where we spend summer. In winter we live in Gstaad and do a little cross-country or downhill skiing.

You had a pacemaker fitted a year ago. How has that changed your life?

I spend more money on batteries. Seriously, the heart's fine now. I did have a problem which I wasn't aware of at the time. I collapsed on stage in New York last May and it was subsequently discovered that my heart wasn't pumping the blood around my body quickly enough. I had the device fitted after that and now I'm grateful it keeps me going. I'm in good company. Elton John and I were both lunching at the Colombe d'Or in the south of France last summer and we whipped off our shirts to compare scars. His has a platinium zip; from Cartier, of course.

Have you had to modify your diet?

No, but I don't eat butter or cheese anyway. And I've lost a bit of weight by cutting out bread. The hypnotist Paul McKenna, who's a friend of my daughter, recommended auto-suggestion. He told me to think of something I really hate - coriander, as it happens - and to mentally mix bread with coriander before eating it. It works. Bread seems disgusting now.

No bread! Are you fan of the Atkins diet?

God, no. It's frightfully bad for you. Our bodies need carbohydrates. Bt mixing protein and carbohydrate in the same meal can upset your digestive system and you put on weight. The only way to lose weight is to keep your mouth shut.

So if you're going to treat yourself?

Some champagne, but Kristina and I don't eat at home much. So it's a real treat for us to have a boiled egg in the evening. I'd much rather eat in the middle of the day. Breakfast is always just fruit. Fruit and tea and bee pollen, two big tablespoon.

Is that good?

Well, it give me a buzz.

So, you're a Saint as far as food is concerned?

Hardly, I adore chocolate. Dark, dark chocolate. And coffee ice cream.

Does a Martini tickle the palate and where do you find the best ones?

Very rarely Kristina and I will have one as a special treat. This is going to sound like a terrible plug but Shumi, my son's restaurant in London, really does make a fantastic dry gin Martini. Also at the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco.

Any surefire hangover cures?

Yes, don't drink. But you can try carrot, apple and fresh ginger, whizzed in a juicer.

Green tea or your GP?

Both, I'm not going to miss out on anything. I'm a firm believer in preventive medicine. I make sure that I have the best medical advice, but if a new supplement is brought out I simply have to have it. I adore chemists, I'm so happy cruising them.

So what pills are you popping at the moment?

Handfuls in a dish every day; they change as I read about new things. At the moment they include MaxEPA fish oil - it's the omega oils that are important - selenium, kelp, lecithin, glucosamine, yeast, digestive enzymes - and gingko biloba for memory. I also take a vitamin C drink.

Has any poisonous habit sullied this temple of virtuous wellbeing?

I used to smoke 20 or 30 a day - when I was growing up, they told us cigarettes were good for us - until Tony Curtis gave me a book on the evils of nicotine. Twenty-four hours later I was stuck on a plane and I smoked far too many. By the time I reached the Bahamas, I was coughing blood. That scare was enough to put me off and so I just stopped. It was very easy. That was in 1970.

As a UNICEF ambassador you spend a lot of time on planes; how do you cope with the rigours of travelling?

When I get on plane I arm myself with two big bottles of water, put on my travel socks and move my legs as much as possible. The travelling is strenuous but I love the work. When I was poncing around the world playing James Bond, my priorities were much more selfish: would my jacket be pressed and what's for lunch? This has changed my life; made me much less aware of my own problems.

Do you exercise your soul as well as your body?

I'm not a regular churchgoar but I believe in a divine intelligence. There has to be some giant brain behind all this and I think we're part of it. Our purpose in life is to gather intelligence and to use that wisdom. if everybody lived in this way, we wouldn't have all this damn war and damn hunger.

Fairy godmother please get rid of my...

Waistline. I'd like to go back to having a 32 in waist again.