Shape I'm In: Pixie McKenna on health, family and everything between

IF there was an Olympic sport for multi-tasking, chances are Dr Pixie McKenna, 43, would win gold.

“Most people say I’m a bit mental the way I fly by the seat of my pants. I try to do 150,000 things at the same time. I’m completely chaotic. I get a lot done but I think it drives everyone else mad,” says the Cork-born presenter of C4’s Embarrassing Bodies.

A GP two days a week in London’s Harley Street, the rest of the time she is either on TV or writing for newspapers and magazines. Somehow she is also bending time to work (“slowly”) on two books one medical, the other a chic lit novel — “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

Married to Mitch, an engineer from Scotland, they live in Cambridge. “He is completely opposite to me. He used to be in the army, so he’s very tidy and very good at ironing. He is the yin to my yang.”

Their daughter, Darcy, is 22 months old.

* Dr McKenna is supporting Cork’s Mercy Hospital Foundation campaign, which aims to raise €3m in three years. See: www.mercyfundraising.ie

What shape are you in?

I exercise most days. When Darcy was born, I needed to be able to multi-task in order to get fit, so my husband bought me a jogging buggy. Four miles is my ceiling.

Do you have any health concerns?

Up until I had my daughter I wasn’t bothered about getting things checked out. I now realise I’ve got the greatest responsibility of my entire life. I did blood tests and passed them all. I hate going to doctors.

What are your healthiest eating habits?

I don’t eat between meals. I like fresh food and try to avoid anything that comes out of a box. I eat most things but I’m off bread for Lent. It’s brutal.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

Full-fat Hellman’s mayonnaise, love it, and cheese and onion crisps.

What would keep you awake at night?

My daughter at the moment. Mostly, I sleep like I’ve had a general anaesthetic. I am not a worrier but I worry about other people being ill. My husband broke his neck in October, he was playing rugby.

How do you relax?

Cycling, running and, absolutely definitely, the best most therapeutic medicine ever is shopping on my own.

What’s your favourite smell?

I love the smell of petrol and going into my mother’s house when she is cooking dinner.

What would you change about your appearance?

My nose. It’s a big honker. But plastic surgery? Not in a fit.

When did you last cry?

After my husband broke his neck. I sat in the kitchen one morning after I had put out two cups and realised he was upstairs. I thought, my God, a 3mm difference in terms of fracture and he could have been paralysed. I had held it together until then. I’ve never cried on telly.

What trait do you least like in others?

When people think they are above others —we are all equal, whether we are emptying the bins or fixing someone’s brain.

What trait do you least like in yourself?

That I’m chaotic and disorganised. While it’s very endearing, it’s very irritating for other people.

Do you pray?

I have a direct line to the Poor Clares in Cork. They are my heroines. When things go wrong, I always pray by proxy.

What would cheer up your day?

My daughter cheers up my day, every millisecond.