How I get ready: Mark Foster

http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/feb/07/how-get-ready-mark-foster

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I am 6ft 6in, so it is hard to find clothes that fit. I am a 34in leg, so I can make 35in trousers work, but I have a longer upper body, so jumpers and T-shirts are always too short. In the past I have bought jeans in America where the sizes are bigger. I have size 13 feet and most shoemakers only go up to 12. In the US they go up to about size 17, so I buy shoes and trainers there, two or three pairs at a time. I like what I call “mufti smart” – a T shirt with a pullover, trousers and brogues.

I am not very good at grooming. People go on about cleansing but I don’t know what to do. I use a bit of moisturiser – generally Kiehl’s – and put wax in my hair. My hair is very grey but very full. Sometimes my hairdresser trims my eyebrows so they are not waving at people.

My body is not what it was when I was an Olympic athlete but it’s not far off – I have maintained my ripped physique. I get in the pool two or three times a week. I don’t shave my body hair any more. I did when I swam competitively because it was about performance and when you shaved, you felt better in the water. I couldn’t say it made a second’s difference, though.

I have always been confident about the way I look, although I don’t tend to point out the two webbed toes that I have on one foot. I was born with them and my nephew has them, too. My mum said to the doctor, “Will that affect him?” And he said, “It’s not going to cause him any harm.” They didn’t know then that I was going to be a swimmer.

• Mark Foster, Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite present Fitsteps – Dance Yourself Fit DVD from Universal Pictures (UK). To find a class near you, visit fan.fitsteps.co.uk.