Jason Manford: ‘My celebrity crush? The Rock. He should be president of the world’

Born in Salford, Greater Manchester, Jason Manford, 42, began his comedy career at 17. He was nominated for the Edinburgh fringe’s Perrier award in 2005, and went on to become a television and radio presenter. In 2012, he made his West End debut in Sweeney Todd, and in 2014 he appeared in ITV1’s drama about Tommy Cooper, Not Like That, Like This. This summer, he stars as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium until 3 September. He has six children and lives in Greater Manchester with his second wife, producer Lucy Dyke.

What is your greatest fear?Wasting my life.

Which living person do you most admire, and why?Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. It doesn’t seem anyone has a bad word to say about him. They should let him be president â€" of the world. We had a brief Twitter chat, and I printed the tweets out and put them on my office wall.

Aside from a property, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought?When I finished the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, I bought a replica of the car. It’s in my front garden, surrounded by a lovely wildflower meadow, and people stop to look at it.

What is your most treasured possession?Chitty.

Describe yourself in three wordsTired but willing.

What makes you unhappy?Myself.

What scares you about getting older?Not seeing or speaking to my children every day.

What is your most unappealing habit?Biting my nails to a ridiculous level.

Who is your celebrity crush?The Rock â€" I think we’ve made that clear â€" and then, second place, Coleen Nolan off of Loose Women.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?A teacher.

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What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?Someone once said online that they hated me so much they wanted to stab me with a spoon. A knife’s easy, but a spoon â€" that takes real hatred.

Would you choose fame or anonymity?Fame.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?Getting on the PlayStation until 3am.

What has been your biggest disappointment?That I go to the gym a couple of times a week, yet I am unfit and overweight.

What would you like to leave your children?The knowledge that they were loved.

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?An improvement in the weather in this country.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?Being able to buy my parents a house.

What has been your closest brush with the law?They’d sent a Swat team to deal with what I felt was a low-level risk incident on my parents’ council estate. An overzealous copper said: “Are you an expert?” And I said: “Well, about this road, yeah, because I’ve lived here all my life.” And he said: “Comedian, are we?” and I went: “Yeah.” And he went: “Right, get in the van!”

What keeps you awake at night?TikTok.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?That there are more important things than being right.

What happens when we die?I don’t think it’s good news.