Ray Winstone feels more aware of his own mortality

Ray Winstone has been more aware of his own mortality since becoming a grandad.

The 64-year-old actor has become much more health conscious since becoming a grandad, as he wants to see his five-year-old grandson - who is also called Ray - in his teens and beyond.

He shared: "It dawned on me when I had a grandchild that I want to see him grow up.

"All of a sudden we’ve got this little man come along and I want to be there. I want to see him in his teens, have a family of his own if possible. That made me think about it more than anything else."

Ray is keen to spend more time in the gym now COVID restrictions are easing across the UK.

The actor recognises the need to lose weight and to keep himself healthy.

He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I’m genuinely overweight. I love to drink, I like to eat and I like to enjoy myself. So it’s not that I’m in the gym every two minutes but now that I do want to get in there I can’t, because I injured my back about two or three years ago and then there’s been COVID.

"So I haven’t been able to get the treatment I want. I have to do it myself."

Ray's best friend Gary Pettit was diagnosed with prostate cancer eight years ago, and they're both keen for other men to stay alert to the risks.

Ray said: "I’ve seen a very good friend of mine survive this disease and it’s important that other men, including myself, are aware of it.

"If I was diagnosed, I’d be absolutely gutted to have prostate cancer, of course I would. But I’d look at Gary and think, there is hope."

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