Ray Winstone has opened up about his health and lifestyle changes (Image: Dave Benett, Dave Benett/Getty Images for BGC Group)
Ray Winstone, one of Britain’s best-loved screen stars, is preparing to return to Netflix in the second series of The Gentlemen tomorrow (September 3). The actor, who plays Bobby Glass in the hit drama, has spoken candidly ahead of its release about getting older and the health choices he has made in recent years.
During an appearance on The Sara Cox Breakfast Show, Winstone revealed that he had stepped away from his former party-heavy lifestyle, explaining that family had become a major reason for making changes.
The actor, who shares three daughters — Lois, Jaimie and Ellie — with his wife Elaine Winstone, discussed his wellbeing after Sara remarked on how healthy he looked.
Ray responded: “I was a bit of party animal for a while, a long while….You get to a certain age, you get fed up with it.”
Ray Winstone returns in Netflix’s The Gentlemen (Image: NETFLIX)
Sara then observed: “You want to stick about for long enough”, prompting Ray to agree as he added: “Watch the kids grow up.”
The actor also shared that preparing for the new season of The Gentlemen required him to do some training, including the use of a specific piece of equipment as part of his routine.
He explained: “I had to do a little bit of training, bit on the treadmill….I can’t run anymore, knees ain’t what they used to be, so what I do, I walk.
“Do you know what, I find it easier to walk on a treadmill than what I would do walking round the streets…it’s the fact that you got a timer…I quite enjoy it, you know?”
This isn’t the first time Ray has talked about his health.
Ray Winstone and his family (Image: Getty)
Speaking on the Dish podcast, he told hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett that he had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
According to the NHS, the condition occurs “when a hormone called insulin does not work properly or there is not enough of it. This causes the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood to become too high”.
Addressing his experience with the condition, Ray said: “I got diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. So that was one of the reasons I stopped drinking. I’d made up my mind that I was going to do that, but my other thing is sugar.
“I thought I ate a lot of sugar because it’s in the drinks, it’s in Coca-Cola, it’s in everything. So I stopped it, and within five months, I didn’t have Type 2 anymore.”
Despite this, he admitted that he still treats himself every now and then, he added: “But I’ll have caramel ice cream and salted caramel ice cream in the freezer. Every now and then is alright, because I’ve been a good boy and I’ve done everything the right way.
“Even now, I’ll get a bowl, and I’ll put my caramel ice cream in, and loads of it. With a little dribble of honey or treacle over it, and nuts.”
