Myleene Klass: I used to eat takeaways for breakfast

During her days in Hear'Say, she went up two dress sizes

Friday, 25 May 2007

Before she got pregnant, Myleene Klass looked back at her Hear'Say days - and the trouble she had keeping in shape while she was under so much pressure.

You were a dancer before you auditioned for Popstars. Did that help you keep in shape?

Before trying out for Hear'Say I danced in West End shows.

Back then I was younger anyway and I could eat what I liked, knowing I'd dance it off in the
evening.

But that catches up with you as you grow up. You realise everything you eat is going to go somewhere!

When I was dancing I was a size 10 – that's my natural frame size, if you like. But when I first got into Hear'Say I totally vegged out. We didn't leave the house.

We couldn't even go to the local shop because of having to keep who was in the band and where we lived a secret. Then, when we started promoting the single and album, we'd travel in the car for hours on end and stop at service stations for food.

You grab burgers because all you've got is five minutes. At home I didn't think anything of warming up a takeaway in the morning.

I gorged on chocolates to keep up my energy and went up to a size 14. When I went to get measured for a bra fitting I'd gone up to an EE cup.

So how did you get back into shape?

I lost weight by eating sensibly and sitting down for proper meals at home. I still ate the same foods as I always had, but not the quantity. I didn't deny myself anything – if you do that you want twice as much of it – and I don't do faddy diets.

You've got to find level ground so that you don't become obsessed with the very food you're trying to cut out.

Were you a gym junkie?

I used to go to the gym, to keep fit rather than lose weight because I needed stamina to be on the stage for two hours every night. But I absolutely detested it.

I had a really horrible experience once where a trainer switched on MTV and said: 'That's your competition, that's what you've got to be aiming for!' He thought it would inspire me, but it actually had the opposite effect.

I thought: 'Don't you know those people have been in make-up for two hours and have a stylist to hand, and all the lighting sorted out?'

What sort of exercise do you prefer?

I enjoyed doing dance classes at the Royal Academy. But I've never gone running around the block – I'm just not like that.

I find it hard to motivate myself: that's why I like dance because it's with a group. I've also enjoyed skipping and boxercise using punch pads.

Also, it may sound funny, but playing the piano can work up such a sweat when you're concentrating and putting all your effort into it.

How does it feel to be constantly scrutinised in the press?

I understand the image-conscious side of it and I'm comfortable with it now. You don't have to equate slimness with success.

I used to teach dance to kids and it shocked me when I heard an eight year old talking about diet tips. We've got a responsibility not to encourage that.

The main thing is just to be realistic and not get too tied up by worrying. I know what I am. I'm not a model, I'm 5ft 6in and I'm a musician. I don't put that extra pressure on myself.

I would rather have the last piece of chocolate cake than sit there worrying about it all night. I'd be the first to say I've got stretch marks and podgy bits and can pinch an inch. The main thing is to dress to suit your own figure and shape.