Gillian McKeith on her favourite pastime...

"In Brazil they call me Miss Poo"

Does Gillian still believe in the virtues of poo analysis? A wholehearted yes.

“I do it with my own clients and I do it with myself, I just can’t help myself! It’s a bit like breathing…I know a lot of people make jokes about it but there’s a serious side: you can tell so much about a person’s body by what their poo looks like, from how much water they drink to are they getting enough essential fatty acids and nutrients...also it’s an early indicator of bowel cancer if you find blood in a stool. I’m not saying it would definitely be bowel cancer but it’s one of the signs. I’m a spokesperson for beating bowel cancer and I’ve had lots of letters from people who’ve caught it in time."

And once we've ascertained I haven't just had lunch, Gillian lets me in on another of her secrets. "I have a German loo where the poo lands on the ledge first so you can analyse it and then flush it," she enthuses.

Gillian's fascination with the contents of her clients' bowels on You Are What You Eat has caused outrage in some conservative parts of the world (the show has aired in 36 countries): "In Brazil they call me Miss Poo, and there it was even worse to talk about poo, it was a complete and utter taboo! It caused an outroar in the newspapers! But it broke down barriers that needed to be broken down. We can't be afraid to talk about our bodily functions, especially when they can be to the point of lifesaving. Bowel cancer is the one cancer that if you get it in time, you will not die from it.”