Jenny Agutter has turned down doctor's advice on health problem

Jenny Agutter says she has avoided doctor's advice and found a different way to treat a health problem after being told she needed to improve her fitness. The 71-year-old actress - who is best known for starring as Sister Julienne in the BBC period drama 'Call the Midwife' - had been asked by her doctor if she wanted to take prescription drugs to help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease but decided that she wanted to deal with the issue herself by switching up her diet.

She told Woman's Weekly: "The surgery said, 'Do you want to come in and discuss taking statins?' I said, 'No, I'd rather watch my diet.' I really enjoy cooking and trying new things, so that's a bonus."

"So the creams, butters, sugars, meats and saturated fat can go, and I'm replacing them with healthy oils and beans, and more veggies and fruit. I've rediscovered cuisine minceur, a light version of French haute cuisine that I used to know about when I lived in the States in the 1970s and 80s."

Jenny will be back on screen in her signature role over the festive period but recalled filming the special episodes earlier this year so the crew had to create their own snow in the middle of spring.

She said: "The crew created a snow flurry outside Nonnatus House and there we all were, late at night, singing Christmas carols. Despite it being April, we weren't hot. Just the idea and sight of something so like snow made us feel quite cold!"

The BBC period medical drama - which follows the lives of antenatal staff in the 1950s and 1960s - traditionally airs a 90-minute special over the festive period but will now broadcast two hour-long episodes instead.

Heidi Thomas OBE, the show's creator and writer, said: "Who doesn't love finding an extra, unexpected present underneath the Christmas tree?"

"When I was asked to write a two-part Christmas special for 2024, I couldn't resist!"