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By Olivia Buxton with photography by Alistair Morris

Kirsty Gallacher has every reason to be nauseatingly self-confident about her body.

Just look at this picture of her – then pinch yourself when we tell you it’s only 16 months since 32-year-old Kirsty gave birth to her first baby.

 

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But despite having a figure we’d swap our firstborns for, she insists her body’s gone ‘a bit softer’ since pregnancy and childbirth and says she has the same body hang-ups as the rest of us.

At 5ft 5in, 8st 7lb and a size 8, TV presenter Kirsty, may look like the epitome of physical perfection, but she’s happy to  list her insecurities about her body.

From where the rest of us are sitting, she looks as if she has it all.

Gorgeous boyfriend, cute baby, great job – oh, and a body so toned, it makes lesser mortals want to retreat back under the duvet in shame.

So it may surprise you as much as it surprised us to hear that Kirsty is dogged with insecurities about her looks, and is happy to detail what she regards as her physical shortcomings.

Breasts, thighs, bottom – she has issues with them all.

This dissatisfaction is probably why she works so hard on her body.

Her dedication to crunches and cardio to keep her size 8 body sculpted sees her pushing herself at the gym four times a week.

But it wasn’t always this way – during her teens, Kirsty was much heavier and miserable.

“At 14 I was very aware of my weight,” she says.

“Kate Moss was on the scene and the ‘heroin chic’ look was in. I was a stone heavier then and wore a size 12.

“I started getting into faddy diets. I wouldn’t touch proteins one week, then I’d ban carbohydrates the next.

"It all seemed normal, as everyone at my all-girls’ school was dieting too.

"I didn’t have an eating disorder, but it was silly and dangerous.”

Since then, Kirsty has eaten a balanced diet and exercised to keep in shape.

“I still have to watch what I eat,” she says.

“I’m not one of those lucky devils who can scoff anything and not put weight on.

"Cheese is a particular weakness.”

Although Kirsty only put on 1st 7lb during pregnancy, going up to 10st, she says her body hasn’t been the same since giving birth.

But regular training sessions with her boyfriend, semi-professional rugby player Paul Sampson, 30, (pictured with Kirsty left) help her look as though motherhood never happened. 

Kirsty and Paul met at a charity dinner seven years ago.

“It was love at first sight,” she says.

“There was an instant twinkle in our eyes.”

They now live in Surrey with their three dogs, lots of hens and their 16-month-old son Oscar.

His birth in December 2006 cemented the couple’s happiness.

Now Kirsty wants to get married.

“On February 29 Paul said: ‘So you’ll be asking me to marry you?’ and I was like: ‘No way, you’ll be asking me!’

"I think he wants me to take charge, but he needs to! We will get married. I’d love a big white wedding.”

In the meantime, her career is providing the next challenge.

Next month Kirsty and co-presenter Ian Wright will be keeping order in the all-new version of the classic ’90s TV show Gladiators.

“There’s real pressure on us to do it justice, it’s so iconic,” she says.

Kirsty plus tight Lycra? We predict a success.

Gladiators starts on Sky One and Sky One HD in early May

 

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The Fabulous 5

1 Gordon Brown or David Cameron?
Can I pick Boris Johnson instead?

2 What rule do you live by?
Treat people as you would like to be treated.

3 Tell us a secret about yourself. Something we’d never guess.
I’m a history boffin. I’m currently reading The Death Of Kings: A Medical History Of The Kings And Queens Of England by Clifford Brewer.

4 What’s your party trick?
When I get drunk I can bend backwards and do the crab.

5 Last supper?
A cheese fondue with Ant and Dec, my boyfriend, my family and Gabby [Logan, who is Oscar’s godmother].

 

Photography: Rex, Bigpicturesphoto.com; Hair and Make-Up: Michelle Campbell using Lancome; Shoes: www.alternative-footwear.co.uk

 

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