Tuesday, 14 November 2006

Angela Griffin: I worked really hard to get my four pack

How she lost the last of her pregnancy weight...

Angela decided to do her second fitness video because she wanted to do a workout that was more about sculpting and toning to give herself abs, arm muscles and more defined legs.

When she was given the script for her role as a fitness instructor in Waterloo Road, she thought: 'If I'm going to be wearing tight Lycra I'd better sort myself out!'

Angela's Dancemix Workout 2 DVD is designed for when you've lost most of the weight you need to, but there's about ½st left that needs tightening up.

Q & A

Are you very conscious of your figure?

The media makes you self-conscious. If you put on a pound it's front-page news, but at the same time I've never been known as a skinny girl. I'm opening myself up to criticism now by doing this DVD.

Everyone will be going: 'But is Angela slim? Not when we snapped her walking across the road. We saw some cellulite, so let's ring that, and she was sweating too, so let's put a big arrow on to point it out.'

Has having your daughter Tallulah Jae on 14 June 2004 affected the way you think about your health?

Definitely. My main motivation now is wanting to be fit. Having Tallulah made a massive difference because, not only do I want to be alive and not have a heart attack, but I want her to come from a household where you get fresh air and you kick a ball about. The most important thing is that healthy balance.

Do you work hard to stay in shape?

I've been working out a couple of times a week to my DVD, but exercising every day. It's better than doing two massive sessions a week because doing it daily speeds up your metabolism.

If I can find 20 minutes to walk to the shop and buy a chocolate bar, I can find 20 minutes to exercise.

Do you watch what you eat?

When I was doing the DVD I didn't drink and I didn't eat desserts. My main change is that I now cook everything from scratch using fresh ingredients.

What do you snack on?

I love packs of fresh berries and fruit salad and bags of nuts. Sparkling water is my other top tip – there's something about it that fills you up like plain water doesn't.

Which diets have you tried in the past?

I once did Slimming World and I got obsessed with it. It's good in theory, but I remember being out for dinner with Lisa Faulkner and Nicola Stephenson and crying because I'd eaten something I shouldn't have.

I stopped there and then. I was taking it too seriously. You can't keep a diet up for the rest of your life.

What are your food vices? Do you avoid anything?

My vice is chocolate. I'm going through a Green & Black's stage, but organic chocolate isn't so bad for you because it has a higher cocoa content. I've always avoided fried stuff because I don't like the idea of things swimming in fat.

Did you find it hard to get back in shape after having Tallulah?

I was breast-feeding so some weight came off naturally. I started training for the first DVD six weeks after I gave birth and I had so much to lose I loved watching it come off.

The second DVD has been harder because I've been trying to get to ½st under what I'd naturally be, so my body didn't want to let it go.

What if you can't afford a personal trainer?

That's the great thing about the DVD – you can be your own trainer at home.

I put on 4st when I was pregnant so I had to lose it for the sake of my health, but the last thing I wanted to do was go to the gym.

At one point in my pregnancy I was told that if I carried on eating so much I'd have to be tested for gestational diabetes.

Are you happy with your body now?

Yes. I don't think I could go much slimmer. I can still have my curries and a chocolate bar on a Friday night and, as long as I work out, I don't have to worry too much about what I eat to stay a size 10.

How will you handle your body image with Tallulah?

I want to make sure she grows up in a house where we eat good, healthy food as a family and there won't be any dieting.

I'm already conscious of not inflicting an obsessive exercise ideal on her. Hopefully, if we have a healthy attitude towards food, she will too.

If you could swap bodies with any other celebrity, whose figure would you trade with?

I like Beyoncé's body. The proportion between her boobs, her waist and her bum is fantastic. But she does weights every morning and has to work at it.

What's your favourite bit of your body?

I love my newly acquired abs because I worked really hard to get them. I've got a four-pack but I'm working towards a six-pack.

My tummy was always my worst bit before. I'd get my legs out, I'd get my arms out, I'd shove my boobs up, but there was no way at all I'd ever get my stomach out. The only thing I really hate are my wide feet – I can't buy shoes.

How do you feel about cosmetic surgery – would you ever go under the knife?

I think everyone should be allowed to do what they want. I might have a boob job, an uplift.

If Now came to dinner, what would you serve up?

Spaghetti Vongole, which is clams, white wine, parsley and garlic. It's beautiful but I put double amounts of garlic in it for a good flavour. I also make a gorgeous goats' cheese and sun-blush tomato tartlet.