Sunday with AJ Odudu: ‘Sunday has a specific vibe and needs a specific sound’

The TV presenter clears her head and cleans, then it’s time for fun – food, drinks and Lionel Richie

Up early or lie in? I claim to love a lie-in, but my lie-in is 8am. Other days I have call-time dread because my alarm goes off at 5.30am.

First thing you do? I live in a split level apartment, so I feel I’ve achieved something just by going downstairs. The likelihood of a hangover is high, in which case there will be Berocca, water and Nurofen. I try to be good with vitamins, too.

Sunday breakfast? When my mum comes to town, it’s our treat to get a croissant and walk around the park.

Sunday morning? I get my housework done and water my plants. I’ve got so many now that my living room looks like a botanical garden.

Sunday workout? The most strenuous part of my Sunday is Hoovering three flights of stairs.

Handy in the kitchen? I refuse to cook on a Sunday. My friends cook fish stew in my kitchen or I’m in a pub for roast beef, but never chicken. If I can make it better, I don’t order it. If Mum is here, there will be Nigerian food: pepper soup, yam, plantains, black-eyed beans, rice and stew. She only knows how to cook loads of food, so that’s my dinners for the week.

Sunday drinks? I’ve hydrated in the morning, I’ve had my vitamins, I’ve lined my stomach – it’s time for red wine and margaritas.

Sunday sounds? Lionel Richie, Roy Ayers, Lauryn Hill, Luther Vandross. Sunday has a specific vibe and needs a specific sound.

Sunday wind-down? I whack on RuPaul’s Drag Race. I’m such a telly person that I watch all my own shows, and, you know what, they’re really good, guys.

Sunday bedtime? I’m a night owl and get a second wind at bedtime, plus I’m sensitive to light, noise, and the temperature in the room. I have blackout blinds, earplugs, an eye mask and I need the room to be cold, like sleeping in a fridge.

AJ hosts The Greatest Auction, Tuesdays at 8pm on Channel 4

Lara Kilner

The GuardianTramp

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