1. What’s your favourite sport?

Anything where you are only competing against yourself. I always hated sport at school, because it just highlighted how rubbish I was at it. I started yoga in 2012 and have definitely upped my game during the lockdown; I can ask more of my body now than I had ever thought possible. No medals, competitions or ranking lists, just the satisfaction of seeing myself grow! I was in the British championships for acoustic air rifle shooting at school; that was a laugh!

2. If you were on Mastermind what would your specialist subject be?

Either the human body or essential oils, both of which never cease to fascinate me. I was also a clinical linguistic in a former life, so could have a stab at all things language-related too.

3. What would be your dream occupation?

I’m doing it: getting people out of pain for good, so that they feel younger and take back control of their lives. I’m aiming to buy my own clinic some day and have my whole multidisciplinary team working under one roof, each member handpicked for their awesomeness!

4. Describe your first car and what you loved or hated most about it.

I’m totally blind, so am strangely not allowed to drive, at least on the road. Off-road is a different story though:  I’ve probably driven more different vehicles than most people: various cars, a tractor, a tram in Sheffield, a glider plane and I even helmed a tall ship for three hours single-handed in the Mediterranean. We did go off-course at one point and the first mate had to point me back in the right direction. I also helped my uncle roll a cricket pitch once and that was nearly the end of my nan’s new Renault 5! I’m still awaiting a provisional licence!

5. Do you have hidden talents most people don’t know about?

I’m an avid choral singer and am honoured to be singing the first verse of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ for our ‘Nine Lessons and Carols’ service. I used to work as a speech and language scientist and have a good way with words and language. I’m also pretty good at destroying anything which needs some serious demolition: chopping trees, stripping wallpaper and generally bashing things with a hammer. You will be pleased to hear that I confine these skills to my house and garden and don’t bring them into my clinical practice! Some people also say that I have hidden talents as a comedian; I’ll let the reader be the judge of that.

6. If you were on desert island discs what would your luxury item be?

My choral music collection, so I could while a way the hours practising my singing and committing the music to memory. Written musical scores are for wimps!

7. Name one thing on your Bucket List you’ve yet to do?

A world cruise, when I’ve got three months and a few thousand pounds going spare, once my clinic which I don’t have yet can run itself!

8. What one accomplishment are you most proud of?

There aren’t many people with sight loss who have achieved a Ph.D, so it’s probably that, or maybe it’s just my sheer tenacity and determination to achieve things against all the odds, especially when life gets tough.

9. What embarrassing mistake have you made that has taught you a lesson?

Nothing major springs to mind, although I do occasionally have “blind moments” and do something daft: talking to people who have walked away without my realising; trying to pour a drink with the cap still on the bottle; drinking someone else’s wine; hoovering up a toilet roll which had fallen down. I could name numerous of these and I’m not sure I’ve really learned anything much, other than perhaps not to make assumptions!

10. What’s your guilty pleasure?

High end dark chocolate and far too much of it. I also love a mean curry!