Tees Life Tees Life issue 7 | Page 27

LIFESTYLE Jet-fuelled - pictured at Wynyard Hall, Diane Youdale is still flying high. LIFE’S LOVES A book I love is…The Running Hare: The Secret Life of Farmland by John Lewis-Stempel. It’s a beautifully written insight into the importance of stripping our environment back to basics. A film I love is…Into the West. A TV programme I love is…Coast. Actually, anything by Alice Roberts! PEOPLE IN LIFE A song I love is…Bring Down the Rain by Glacier, my brother’s prog rock band. John is such an inspiration – he’s written eight beautiful albums, as well as working for 40 years with children who have special needs. A holiday destination I love is…the Scottish Highlands. It’s got everything I want. The biggest influence on my career was… my dad, who passed away last year. As an astronomer, he contributed to the BBC for over 40 years. He’s very much missed. WORKING LIFE The people who make me laugh are… my walking partner – who will have to remain nameless – and my friend Ian Rae. They don’t try to be funny, but there’s just something about their observations and the way they talk! My biggest disappointment was…I’ve been very blessed not to have many, although as a therapist I find it disappointing when I meet people who aren’t taking responsibility for their own health and happiness. The person who inspires me is…actress Liz Carling, who most people will know from Boon, Casualty and Goodnight Sweetheart. I met her at the National Youth Theatre in 1986 and we’ve been good friends ever since. She’s so committed to her acting and she’s a Teessider through and through! The people who make me angry are…ill- mannered people. My greatest achievement was…helping some very poorly people, as part of my psychotherapy work. My business mantra is…value and believe in what you do, because you’ll soon get found out if you don’t! The alternative career I might have had was…journalism. After injuring my back while working on Gladiators, I chose to pursue psychotherapy over a career in journalism. The two fields are actually very similar – I was doing a lot of TV presenting at the time and I loved doing interviews, but I wanted to do something a bit deeper and more personal. My favourite place on Teesside is…a section of the Cleveland Way, along the cliff edge near Saltburn beach. You get the most incredible view of the iron sculptures and right up the coast towards Hartlepool and beyond. For me, the whole history of Teesside is right there in one view. FIND O UT M ORE A B OU T DIA NE’S COAC H I NG SERVI CES AT PAT R E ON.COM / JE T LOV E S . tees-life.co.uk 27