The Alfie star avoids sweet treats and any foods which contain salt, and he also makes sure he walks at least two miles (3.2 kilometres) every day.

Michael reveals he picked up the ideas for his diet while living in California, and he is convinced it keeps him fit and well.

"I lived in California for 10 years, and have been working there for 50, so I am very Californian about diet," he tells Britain's The Times newspaper. "I don't eat sugar and salt and stuff like that. I walk about two miles a day and all the bread is gluten-free."

However, Michael admits he cheats every so often and treats himself to a tasty bacon sandwich.

"Every now and then I still have one," he adds. "If you don't eat them (often) you can have them and really enjoy them."

Michael recently credited his wife Shakira with saving his life because she helped him stop drinking and embrace a more healthy lifestyle.

"Without her I would have been dead long ago. I would have probably drunk myself to death," he told Britain's Radio Times magazine. "I was a bit of a p**s artist when I was younger, I used to drink a bottle of vodka a day and I was smoking too, several packs a day."

The couple wed in 1973, and Michael adds of his beloved partner, "She's not the little wife; she runs the whole business side of my life. She's my right-hand man, my confidante... I tell her everything. I was famous when I met her, but I couldn't have got this far without her. She is the most important person in my life."