Moss fronts health campaign

Moss appeared at London's Bluebird café to front the new campaign which will be called "sortED in 10", a campaign to encourage men to shake off their embarrassment about the problem and visit their doctors for a diagnosis in 10 minutes.

Moss, who suffered from the problem twice in his life, the first time following his crash at Goodwood in 1962 and more recently following an operation for prostate cancer in 2001. He took the brave decision to become the face behind the campaign because he felt strongly about the issue.

"I'm having to stick my head over the barrier and talk about this because every other man over 50 finds sometimes that they can't get it up," Moss said. "It's important that these guys go and see their doctors. I'm a great believer that when things are wrong you should go and see a professional. This subject is too important and I think the saying is, 'you can die with the problem although not of it'.

"It's absolutely essential to go and see the doctor and have things checked because it could be caused by a host of other health problems, including diabetes."

Speaking candidly about the subject, Moss claims that his big accident at Goodwood in 1962, which left him unconscious for a month, resulted in his first problem in the area. "It was a big shock," he said, "especially because at the time I was wanting to spread some happiness around the world, luckily for me there was an unattractive nurse who helped me out quite a bit!

The sortED in 10 campaign will feature Moss' face in the national press as well as in washrooms at major service stations and on London taxis.

Moss himself is due to have an operation on his back on Thursday to cure chronic pains he's been suffering recently, the legacy of his crash at the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix which left him with a broken back and legs.