I know I'm called the "sexy French chef", and I don't mind that. I am a business and you have to sell yourself.

When I moved to England at 22 I did not speak any English, but I always knew how to express myself in other ways. My language was my plate, and that still is the case. My food . . . that's my real look. My jumpers and jackets are the same ones I've had for 20 years. What I don't do with clothes I do with my cooking.

My appearance is a compromise basically, because of lack of time and also, to be frank, I can't be f**king bothered.

I was invited to the Brit awards recently but I didn't go because I couldn't be bothered to dress up. I can't ever go to the hairdressers because I can never say, "Yes, I'll definitely be there at four o'clock." So, my trainer Jacqueline cuts my hair. I wear the same thing every day because it makes life easier . . . usually it's tracksuits. I choose things more for practicality than for anything else. Although, now that my name is getting known so rapidly I have to think a bit more about how people see me.

I'm very strict with myself when it comes to exercise: I go to extremes. I see it as taking care of my engine. I run and I have a pool at my house which has a current in the water that I swim against. I look after my diet and I don't eat carbs after 2pm. I'm somebody who is very passionate, very expressive and very active.

Being tired is the worst thing that can happen to me because I'm not functioning properly. I heard rumours that I was on drugs because I'm so energetic. They'd say, "He's on something", but it's just the way I am.