Three years ago, A Place in the Sun ’s newest presenter Craig Rowe went to see his GP.
He had been suffering horrendous night sweats for weeks, leaving him drenched and perplexed as to why they were happening.
Although the doctors never got to the bottom of what was causing the sweats, which eventually disappeared on their own, the 49-year-old received a very worrying diagnosis.
A series of blood tests revealed he had too much fat around his liver and his blood sugar levels were sky high.
He was told in no uncertain terms that he needed to overhaul his diet and lifestyle, and if he didn’t, he was at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
“Thank goodness for those night sweats as I would never have known I had such high blood sugar levels,” admits Craig, who was previously one of This Morning’s go-to gadget gurus and appeared regularly on shopping channel QVC.
“Doctors told me I was prediabetic, which came as an unpleasant surprise. They said my blood sugar level reading was 45mmol/ mol – full diabetes is 48 and so this was such a shock. It was also frightening to think I would have ended up walking into being a type 2 diabetic if I hadn’t had those tests as there were no warning signs.
Get all the latest news sent to your inbox. Sign up for the free Mirror newsletter
“I’d always thought of myself as a healthy person. I went to the gym a couple of times a week and I ate relatively OK, or so I thought.”
Over 4.9 million people are currently living with diabetes in the UK and 90% of those cases are type 2, according to Diabetes UK.
Without treatment it can seriously damage parts of the body, including eyes, heart and feet. But with the right treatment, sufferers can live well and reduce their risk of developing complications.
Craig says: “I know firsthand sadly how diabetes can affect you as my late grandad had suffered from diabetes, as had his brothers. I’ve now learnt that diabetes is two to four times more likely to affect black or Asian people as it does white people.”
Determined to get his blood sugar levels down, Craig completely overhauled his diet and upped his fitness levels after researching at home what he could do to improve his health.
“I knew I had to do something about it. I’d been eating white bread and pasta, which are very processed, and I realised during my research that these sorts of carbs behave like sugar when they hit our body,” he explains.
“So I swapped those for whole wheat pasta, plenty of fish and vegetables.
“I also stuck to intermittent fasting to give my body enough time to create insulin to digest the food, and I stopped walking past nice pastry shops near where I live too, to avoid popping in for a quick latte and pain au chocolat, which I used to do!”
Stepping up his fitness levels by vowing to walk 15,000 steps a day Craig started to notice big changes.
“As soon as I changed my diet and fitness, I started to notice I was losing weight too,” he says, smiling.
“I hadn’t planned to lose weight, but I was getting some nice compliments.
“Four months on after first going to the doctors, I went back to get my blood levels checked again and they had gone right down to 39, which is in the normal range, albeit at the high end. I was so pleased.”
Spurred on, Craig largely stuck to a strict diet incorporating intermittent fasting. Skipping breakfast, he’d tuck into eggs for brunch at around 11am, a light lunch of houmous and crudites, snack on an apple in the afternoon and eat fish and vegetables in the evening.
But as the presenter readily admits, staying focused isn’t always easy.
While on his first shoot abroad with the Channel 4 daytime team in the autumn, he threw caution to the wind and tucked into large hotel breakfasts and lunches, followed by drinks in the evening with nachos and chips as snacks.
“I now realise I got a bit too excited,” he admits.
“I was so pleased to be travelling again, but when I was shown some photos of my first trip with the team, I realised I had put weight on. I got my blood levels checked again and sure enough, I was right back up to prediabetic levels. It just goes to show you must stick to your new way of life if you don’t want to be diabetic.
“As soon as I realised, I immediately went on a strict diet and my blood sugar levels went back down again.”
Craig, who lives in London, says he is already planning how to make sure he doesn’t give in to temptation when he flies out again for filming.
“I know I need to watch what I eat and make sure I do some exercise,” he adds.
Reflecting on his shock wake-up call, Craig says he would always urge people to ask for a blood test if they are concerned.
“I thank my lucky stars that I had those night sweats,” he says.
“If you are black or Asian, you know you are more susceptible and it’s good to get everything checked out.”
For information, go to diabetes.org.uk. A Place in the Sun is on weekdays, Channel 4, 3pm. On Instagram, Craig (@craigrowetv) updates followers with recipes to keep blood levels low.
