I had a 血 clot on my brain - and nearly died

TV chef Gary Rhodes is the epitome of sparkling health, but that hasn't always been the 事例／患者. After a 近づく-致命的な 事故 at the age 19, he 苦しむd from a 血 clot and had to を受ける major brain 外科.

Gary, 41, who lives with his wife Jennifer and sons Samuel, 14, and George, 12, 近づく Orpington, Kent, and runs several restaurants, 会談 to Daily Mail reporter Robyn Foyster.

For four years, I have been getting up at 4.30am and working out for 40 minutes. I 演習 every day, even Christmas Day, because if I don't do it religiously I know I won't keep it up, and it has to be that 早期に to fit in before work.

But rather than 存在 tired, I find that getting up so 早期に gives me lots of energy.

I am in 広大な／多数の／重要な 形態／調整 health-wise, and I hardly ever を煩う 冷淡なs or any other 病気.

But I am only too conscious how different it could have been. When I was 19, and had just started my first 十分な-time 職業 as a chef at the Amsterdam Hilton, I was 伴う／関わるd in a horrific road 事故.

I don't remember anything about it, and know only what my mother told me later.

I ran for a tram and looked the wrong way. I wasn't used to the trams in the middle of the road, or cars travelling in the wrong direction, and a 先頭 攻撃する，衝突する me. I woke up in hospital about a week later.

At the time, they didn't think I was going to pull through because I had a 血 clot on the brain. I had brain 外科 to have it 除去するd, and I couldn't work for six months.

One of the dreadful 味方する- 影響s was that I 一時的に lost my sense of smell, which was 脅すing because I thought it would mean the end of my career.

There was slight 損失 to the area at the 支援する of my 長，率いる, where your senses are directed from. When I had some 早期に 実験（する）s, they gave me different fruits, such as oranges and lemons, and I couldn't smell them.

Fortunately, a cou ple of months later my sense of smell （機の）カム 支援する.

During my six months' convalescence, I returned to Britain and indulged myself by reading every cookbook I could lay my 手渡すs on.

I wasn't やめる ready to return to work when I did, but I was fed up of 存在 at home all day doing very little. I was also desperate to get 支援する into the kitchen.

Fortunately they had kept my 職業 open for me at the Hilton, and I stayed for more than two years.

However, I probably went 支援する too 早期に because I wasn't used to the long hours, and for the first three months I got tired very quickly.

I loved playing football at school, and it was my dream, like every boy, to play for Manchester 部隊d.

The doctors didn't tell me not to play any more, just to be very careful because of the 危険 of another 長，率いる 傷害. But to me it's not 価値（がある） the 危険, so I don't play at all. I do, however, enjoy playing tennis with my sons, Samuel and George.

My fitness level has always been good. That's the 広大な／多数の／重要な thing about 存在 a chef - you are always on your feet, 非難する around the kitchen.

The one thing I do to 改善する my health is work on 強化するing my 支援する muscles.

I do を煩う a bad 支援する, 原因（となる）d by bending over and chopping all the time, and now and again it can get pretty 汚い. I don't know a chef who doesn't を煩う it.

I went to see a chiropractor and he has 示唆するd a number of 演習s which I've 設立する helpful.

I started cooking at the age of 13. I was born in Dulwich, South-East London, and spent my 早期に years in Manchester before moving to Kent.

My father, Gordon, was a school 管理人. He walked out on my mother, ジーンズ, when I was six, and although she remarried, I took on a new status in the 世帯.

I used to 準備する the meals when my mother went out to work. We always ate very healthily and there was always fresh vegetables with every meal. I remember once making a meal without vegetables and 存在 told off - I never did it again.

One of the things I believe passionately about is that families should have at least three home- cooked meals a week.

When I'm working, it's not uncommon for me to come home late and tuck into a bowl of cereal or some home-baked bread. But there's nothing I enjoy more than cooking for my family at the 週末.

We eat healthily - it's something we're pretty strict about. There's nothing better than having a lovely 取調べ／厳しく尋問するd salmon with a knob of butter and fresh asparagus or purplesprouting broccoli.

If we have one 証拠不十分, it's going out to our favourite 地元の Chinese restaurant. There's nothing better - and yes, I pig out.

Gary Rhodes' 最新の 調書をとる／予約する, The Cookery Year - Spring Into Summer, is published by BBC 世界的な 調書をとる／予約するs.