Robin, now 73, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes by chance in 1999, aged 58 . Robin Ellis shot to fame in the Seventies as the original dashing hero Ross Poldark. At the time, he was as much a heart throb as Aidan Turner, star of the hugely successful BBC remake of the Cornish epic that concludes on Sunday. In fact, even now at the age of 73 Robin has retained the physique that helped make him famous - as he showed in a cameo in the BBC remake. Yet even though he has been slim all his life - 12st, which is perfect for his 6ft 1½in frame - Robin has type 2 diabetes, a condition that many of us associate with being overweight. In type 2 diabetes, the body's cells fail to react to insulin, causing blood sugar levels to soar which, if uncontrolled, can lead to blindness, kidney damage, heart disease and circulation problems, especially in the feet and legs. Robin was diagnosed by chance in 1999 aged 58 after a friend was diagnosed with prostate cancer and he decided to get himself checked. 'It was clear, but blood tests showed my blood glucose levels were high,' he says. 'Six months later, I was tested again and told I had type 2 diabetes.' He had none of the tell-tale symptoms such as increased thirst or urination. Although he had smoked 20 roll-ups a day for 20 years, he gave up when he was 40. He was running five or six miles a day, and didn't have a sweet tooth. So how did he end up with type 2 diabetes? Normally, it occurs in those who are overweight or who have an inactive lifestyle. This is thought to be linked to excess fat cells releasing chemicals that disrupt the way the body responds to insulin. However, the problem can also develop in apparently slim people with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI). That's because diabetes is strongly linked to visceral fat - which is hidden in the abdomen, around the organs. 'BMI doesn't tell the whole story and it's just as important where the fat is on your body,' says Julian Halcox, professor of cardiology at the University of Cardiff. 'Studies show some people can have a normal BMI, but a higher proportion of fat than you might expect from looking at them.' This does not appear to have been the problem for Robin. He'd been only too aware of the risks of diabetes - his mother died aged 67 of a heart attack brought on by 30 years of type 1 diabetes. Pictured here in Poldark, he was struck by Michel Montignac's book, Dine Out And Lose Weight, which advocates giving up white (refined) carbohydrates rather than counting calories . 'Because of my poor mum's history, I was fully aware of what my diagnosis meant,' he says. Type 2 diabetes has a strong genetic element - if a parent has it, there's a 50 per cent chance their child will, too. However, Robin's mother had type 1 diabetes, which is an entirely different type and so it's likely to be just a coincidence. In type 1 diabetes, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed, meaning none is released, whereas in type 2 the pancreas may produce decent levels of insulin but the body is resistant to it. The diabetes picture has changed dramatically since Robin's mother's days. Rates of type 2 diabetes have soared, due to rising obesity levels, and it is being diagnosed at a much younger age. In the UK in 2010 there were 3.1 m over-16s with diabetes, 90 per cent with type 2. By 2030, there are expected to be 4.6 m people with the condition, equivalent to one in ten of the adult population. 'There is an epidemic of type 2 and the myth that this is a milder form of diabetes has been totally busted,' says Dr Graham Toms, consultant diabetes specialist at Newham University Hospital, East London. Indeed while complications such as nerve damage to the eyes and feet equally affect both types of diabetes, damage to the large blood vessels in the heart, brain and legs are far more common with type 2. Heart disease is a common complication of type 2 diabetes, because high blood sugar can damage the blood vessels and raise the risk of arteries becoming blocked. Once he was diagnosed, Robin was determined to do everything he could to limit the damage through lifestyle changes. Previously his diet included meals grabbed from the catering truck while filming on location as well as late-night meals with friends while sharing several bottles of wine after coming off stage. Now, he has eliminated sugar and refined carbohydrates such as white bread from his diet, and developed a passion for cooking from scratch. 'After being told about diabetes, I read up on it and was struck by Michel Montignac's book, Dine Out And Lose Weight, which advocates giving up white (refined) carbohydrates (that release sugar quickly into the bloodstream) rather than counting calories. I made the changes immediately.' Robin has since written a number of cookbooks for people with diabetes, as he found there was a lack of recipes available. The proportion of hospital beds occupied by patients with diabetes . When filming for the current series of Poldark, he took his own healthy breakfast. 'I travel with oats, walnuts, dried apricots and prunes to which I add almond milk, which is virtually sugar-free, and then I'll have rye bread.' Robin's other lifestyle change was to walk the recommended 150 minutes a week, little but often (he'd given up running by then). The result was extraordinary. For ten years he was able to control his blood sugar through these methods alone. Only recently has he been put on medication, as diabetes is a progressive disease which worsens with age. Only a minority of patients can combat the disease without drugs for so long. 'It is achievable, but only in patients who have the knowledge and motivation to do it,' says Dr Toms. Six years ago, Robin was put on diamicron, a form of sulphonylurea drug, which stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin. Three months ago, he was also given januvia, which prevents the breakdown of the gut hormone GLP-1, whose role is to prompt insulin release after a meal. Two years ago, routine tests indicated that Robin had possible artery problems and he was sent to a clinic. 'I arrived light-hearted as I wasn't short of breath or suffering chest pains - and found myself having an angioplasty (a procedure to widen a blocked artery) feeling like a chicken on a slab.' Under local anaesthetic, a catheter was threaded down his arm and a wire then delivered three stents - tiny mesh tubes - to widen the blocked artery. 'It took no time and I left feeling light-hearted again as it had been fixed. But it was further proof that you must take diabetes seriously.' Since then, all has been well. Robin - who lives with his American wife, Meredith, in Lautrec in south-west France, does have some numbness in his feet, another common complication of diabetes, and sees a chiropodist every three months. 'My blood glucose levels are checked every three months,' he says. 'There has been a small, steady rise over the years, consistent with my age but still very good. 'People get depressed and think their diagnosis is the end of the world. Well, it isn't. I'm still here and I'm aiming to die of old age, not diabetes.' Delicious Dishes For Diabetics and Healthy Eating For Life are published by Robinson. For details of Robin's cookery workshops in France go to: robin-ellis.net . diabetes.org.uk .
Robin Ellis, now 73, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes by chance in 1999 . Poldark star read Michel Montignac's book, Dine Out And Lose Weight . Advocates giving up white carbohydrates rather than counting calories . Robin has since written a number of cookbooks for people with diabetes . He eats oats, walnuts, apricots and prunes with almond milk for breakfast .