MR NATURAL
Giles Vickers-Jones
From the series Quick Chats By Simon Lawrence
Simon Lawrence chats to the new kid on the block, Giles Vickers-Jones, and wants to know how he juggles a healthy regime with his hectic career…
We were waiting for the final photographs to be wired through, the weary designers completing the finer points of every page, the copy editors reading through each letter of every word, and then there’s me, as usual, all of them waiting for my final piece of writing. And this is it.
Despite it still being dark outside, he greeted me with the affable charm I’ve seen him present at each of his radio and television appearances. He’s swamped, too; in fact, we’ve been trying to meet up for weeks. It’s also why it has become the eleventh-hour, 6 a.m. phone call instead of my preferred face-to-face chat.
Giles currently presents ITV’s ‘At The Movies’, reporting on the latest films and the hottest movie stars. I also saw him recently on ‘California Dreaming’, a Channel 4 programme. He was living temporarily in a Hollywood mansion with another six aspiring performers whilst acting guru Bernard Hillier set various challenges, the goal, trying to ‘make it’ in the capital of showbiz!
Through this series, he landed a role presenting for NBC, covering high-profile movie premieres in the UK… a programme that was also transmitted worldwide. He’s also a presenter for ‘Quiz Call’, part of 4 Ventures new programming and ‘The Unprofessionals’, a furious but entertaining programme that takes Giles and fellow presenter Danielle Nicholls out of the TV studio and straight into sewage pits, vats of animal bits and worse nightmares, like working with children or on stage as a stand-up comedian.
“How long have we got?’ That was my first question.
‘I’m off to the gym in fifteen minutes; I’ve turned into a bit of a fitness freak,’ he said, almost apologising. ‘I have a personal trainer now, which is a bit of an extravagance, but it’s working well for me. I feel so much better for the constant workouts. It is a bit of a challenge sometimes trudging up there in the dark and the cold, but as soon as I get going, I feel great, awake, more on the ball and ready for whatever the day throws at me. My trainer keeps me motivated and focused; he’s great. In fact, over time, I’ve found it less of a chore and more a part of who I am. It’s a part of my life now I really enjoy.’
Giles ran the New York Marathon in 2002 and is busy training for another later this year, then the London Triathlon after that. Breakfast is an integral part of his day, too.
‘After a good workout, I usually go home, mop myself down, then have a bowl of oats with milk and protein powder. If I’m on the run all day, it helps me stay energised. I guess it’s all that slow energy release.’
We all seem to be running continuously these days, and Giles is no exception; it sounds like he’s sprinting faster than most.
‘The trouble with the celebrity film circuit is the food. We might be putting a programme together at one of London’s better hotels; they always serve truck-loads of wonderful cooking, and of course, it would be impolite to refuse. I try to eat well when I’m not on location, but it isn’t easy when I am. I tell myself if I eat as well as I can and exercise too, I can still enjoy a drink and spoil myself from time to time without the guilt trip… I better get up and go to the gym,’ he said with a long sigh. ‘Next time, let’s meet there… I promise we can chat for longer.’
I laughed and suggested I’d rather meet at a swish London Hotel. Talking about that lavish celeb food had made me hungry. It was then my editor shot me one of her more stern looks, the one that reminds me this is a natural health magazine! So I’m not entirely sure she’ll let me leave this finishing paragraph in, or I’ll have to quickly think of another; that final piece of the jigsaw might be delayed a little longer.
See you next month.
First published in LiveIt Naturally Magazine on March 06
Simon Lawrence chats to the new kid on the block, Giles Vickers-Jones, and wants to know how he juggles a healthy regime with his hectic career…
We were waiting for the final photographs to be wired through, the weary designers completing the finer points of every page, the copy editors reading through each letter of every word, and then there’s me, as usual, all of them waiting for my final piece of writing. And this is it.
Despite it still being dark outside, he greeted me with the affable charm I’ve seen him present at each of his radio and television appearances. He’s swamped, too; in fact, we’ve been trying to meet up for weeks. It’s also why it has become the eleventh-hour, 6 a.m. phone call instead of my preferred face-to-face chat.
Giles currently presents ITV’s ‘At The Movies’, reporting on the latest films and the hottest movie stars. I also saw him recently on ‘California Dreaming’, a Channel 4 programme. He was living temporarily in a Hollywood mansion with another six aspiring performers whilst acting guru Bernard Hillier set various challenges, the goal, trying to ‘make it’ in the capital of showbiz!
Through this series, he landed a role presenting for NBC, covering high-profile movie premieres in the UK… a programme that was also transmitted worldwide. He’s also a presenter for ‘Quiz Call’, part of 4 Ventures new programming and ‘The Unprofessionals’, a furious but entertaining programme that takes Giles and fellow presenter Danielle Nicholls out of the TV studio and straight into sewage pits, vats of animal bits and worse nightmares, like working with children or on stage as a stand-up comedian.
“How long have we got?’ That was my first question.
‘I’m off to the gym in fifteen minutes; I’ve turned into a bit of a fitness freak,’ he said, almost apologising. ‘I have a personal trainer now, which is a bit of an extravagance, but it’s working well for me. I feel so much better for the constant workouts. It is a bit of a challenge sometimes trudging up there in the dark and the cold, but as soon as I get going, I feel great, awake, more on the ball and ready for whatever the day throws at me. My trainer keeps me motivated and focused; he’s great. In fact, over time, I’ve found it less of a chore and more a part of who I am. It’s a part of my life now I really enjoy.’
Giles ran the New York Marathon in 2002 and is busy training for another later this year, then the London Triathlon after that. Breakfast is an integral part of his day, too.
‘After a good workout, I usually go home, mop myself down, then have a bowl of oats with milk and protein powder. If I’m on the run all day, it helps me stay energised. I guess it’s all that slow energy release.’
We all seem to be running continuously these days, and Giles is no exception; it sounds like he’s sprinting faster than most.
‘The trouble with the celebrity film circuit is the food. We might be putting a programme together at one of London’s better hotels; they always serve truck-loads of wonderful cooking, and of course, it would be impolite to refuse. I try to eat well when I’m not on location, but it isn’t easy when I am. I tell myself if I eat as well as I can and exercise too, I can still enjoy a drink and spoil myself from time to time without the guilt trip… I better get up and go to the gym,’ he said with a long sigh. ‘Next time, let’s meet there… I promise we can chat for longer.’
I laughed and suggested I’d rather meet at a swish London Hotel. Talking about that lavish celeb food had made me hungry. It was then my editor shot me one of her more stern looks, the one that reminds me this is a natural health magazine! So I’m not entirely sure she’ll let me leave this finishing paragraph in, or I’ll have to quickly think of another; that final piece of the jigsaw might be delayed a little longer.
See you next month.
First published in LiveIt Naturally Magazine on March 06