So what exactly is it that enables movie stars to appear on the silver screen showing off sleek, svelte bodies with no saggy bits while we munch popcorn, grateful for the fact that the darkness hides the slight overhanging paunch?

Of course, celebrities have important advantages over the rest of us. They have the time to follow fitness programmes. They have the money to join exclusive fitness clubs and employ trainers, nutritionists and chefs.

John Suchet has a tough week ahead, he confesses at the Baker Street block of flats where he grew up and now sits surrounded by boxes. On Tuesday he will close the door on the happiest chapter of his life when he walks out of the home he shared with his beloved wife Bonnie for 25 years. The night before, he has a talk to give at a Jewish Care fundraising dinner.

We live in the era of wanting to feel and look younger than we are. There are plenty of procedures out there but is it worth the effort and the pain?

To a certain degree it is possible to control fine lines with the use of creams. However, there are now other ways to eradicate or, at least, soften them.

Filler injectables will give immediate results, although Botox can take anything from two to 10 days. They will, however, need topping up after six months. Lasers require a series of treatments, anything up to 12. However, the results are longer lasting.

We are constantly being told how important it is to look after our hearts but perhaps we should be paying a little more attention to our bones as well. According to National Osteoporosis Society statistics, one in two women and one in five men over 50 in the UK break a bone, mainly due to poor bone health. Osteoporosis costs the country £2.3 billion per year. The so-called "silent epidemic" has no obvious symptoms and often the sufferer is unaware they have the disease until too late. The results can be excruciatingly painful and sometimes even fatal.

Imagine what it must be like to be Madonna's fitness trainer. The 51-year-old star is famously demanding and is obsessed with keeping her body in shape - so much so that her workouts have become legendary for their length and their intensity.

According to Bupa figures, two out of three people in the UK have a cholesterol level higher than the recommended figure. Having high cholesterol affects your heart and blood vessels and increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease as it causes fatty deposits (known as plaques) to build up inside your blood vessels.

According to the Department of Health, coronary heart disease is preventable. Yet it kills more than 70,000 people and 110,000 have a heart-attack every year. Around 2 million people suffer from angina. So is it possible that we can rethink our lifestyles, making the necessary modifications in order to prevent ourselves from becoming another statistic?

Apart from the horrors of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and the myriad of drugs which sufferers are forced to endure, there is another hardship of cancer which is not as well documented.

The emotional trauma caused by the disease is less highlighted but is a significant side-effect. Issues like confronting death or the breakdown of a relationship, the humiliation of hair loss or the demise of a career may need to be addressed.