"The Night I Nearly Died"

~ Best Magazine - 21/02/2011 ~

You're standing in for Lorraine Kelly this week. What are you most looking forward to?

Getting home and going to bed! I have to get up at 5am and be in the studio by 6am. I don't know how she does it!

Lorraine is off to Africa for Comic relief. If you were sent to the desert, what's the one thing you would take?

Some very good wine.

Who would be your dream interview?

Camilla Parker-Bowles. I'd love to hear her side of the story - how she became Prince Charles' wife. And will she ever be Queen? It would be fascinating.

You showed Lorraine your fake boobs from Hairspray recently. how much a part of you has Edna Turnblad and her 36EEE boobs become?

56EEE dear! I struggle with my weight, so I got that, but she's a mum from Baltimore, so I can't identify too much.

Do you really see yourself as fat?

Yes, I was a fat kid, so I always thought of myself as the 'fat boy'. Or at least I thought I was. When I look back at the pictures, I'm slim compared to now!

You have loads of female fans. What's the weirdest thing you've been sent?

Well, I don't like the letters where people go a bit mad. The ones who tell me they've contacted my granny from beyond and she's told them I need to leave Cath, my partner, and go and live with them. And, whil it's flattering, I'm not overkeen on the knickers.

You've been with TV presenter Cathy mcGowan since 1992. Why do her grandchildren, Conmor, 10 and Grace, seven, call you Bally and Bumpy?

'Bumpy' started because they wanted to call Cath 'Grumpy'. I said 'Love, we know you are, but do you really want to be called Grumpy? So it became 'Bumpy'!

What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you?

The night I almost died. The house burnt down eight years ago, two days before Christmas. I had a cold and dran Night Nurse and whiskey - not a great combination. I decided not to disturb Cath and went to sleep in the spare room - the next thing I remember is her dragging me out of bed.

How did the fire start?

From an electrical fault in my study. If Cath hadn't smelt the smoke I'd be dead. i did almost die because the spare room was directly above it and the poison gases were rising, which is why I hadn't woken up.

So you owe your life to Cath?

Yes, she literally dragged me from the bed. The house was a write-off, but I was safe thanks to Cath.

What's the next for Michael Ball?

The optician! My vision has become awful - the curse of 40-somethings. Long-term, I think pizza deivery boy. I haven't tried that one...

Michael hosts Lorraine this week, Mon - Thurs. 8.30am, ITV1. His album Heroes is out on 21 March.