Andrew Rochford, doctor, TV presenter & author, 38

Andrew Rochford might seem like an over-achiever, but even he eats pizza and drinks too much sometimes.

Doctor, TV presenter and author Andrew Rochford. Picture: Nick Cubbin

You found fame when you won reality TV show The Block in 2004. You were a final-year medical student when you applied — didn’t you have enough to do? I was on the couch watching the first series and thinking, “They give you money to renovate a house and then you win money? I could do that.” I lied to get on the show [with girlfriend Jamie, now his wife]: I said I’d done a lot of renovations but all I’d built was a phone table. It turned out to be ridiculously hard. But I’m always looking for the next challenge; it drives my family mental.

Your CV sounds exhausting: doctor (now part time), TV and radio host, creator of tech company Docta, Alzheimer’s Australia ambassador, and on and on … Do you say no to anything? I’ve said yes to a lot of things, and at the time it was the right thing to do. I’m still an ambassador for [meditation program] Smiling Mind. DrinkWise is my longest association … and I’m national ambassador for Australian Red Cross.

Now you’ve written a men’s health guide, subtitled “Finding the perfect non-perfect version of yourself”. How does that work? I didn’t want to scare guys off or wag my finger … I thought this was the best way, saying, “Give yourself a break, you’re never going to achieve perfection.” Perfection’s a myth.

But men need to try harder with their health, right? We’re getting fatter, there’s more chronic disease … it’s hard to find yourself in a healthy space, day to day. It’s a battle, but there’s a better version of all of us. We have to make good decisions. Don’t make excuses, such as “It’s too cold to exercise”.

Do you ignore your own advice? I don’t sleep as much as I should. There are times when I drink more than I should, and when I polish off an entire pizza. A part of me says, “You know that it’s not great” — but the other part says, “I don’t care”.

What does downtime with your family on Sydney’s northern beaches look like? I love doing simple things like going to the cricket with my son [Archie, 10] or watching my daughters [Ava and Georgia, nine] play netball. I love to have downtime but I want them to understand the idea of being driven to do something. You’ve got to lead by example.

Do you let them eat junk food and play computer games? Yes, but it fits into what’s realistic. You can’t make them eat carrot sticks instead of party food. It’s about educating them to be good decision-makers. That’s my job, not to create a maniacal dictatorship. If you make all the decisions for them, when you’re not there how will they decide for themselves?

What are your biggest flaws? I leave my clothes on the floor, and spend too much time in the shower. I probably break wind in bed more than I should, and I’m an over-thinker. I put the toilet seat down at least half the time, though.

What’s the most important thing for good health? Sleep.

What’s the most bizarre thing you’ve seen in an emergency ward? There are way too many bizarre things. Most of them involve people putting things in places where they shouldn’t have … Matchbox cars, pens, sauce bottles.

The Reality Checkup: Finding the Perfect Non-Perfect Version of Yourself by Dr Andrew Rochford (New Holland, $29.99).