EVER since she stripped off for THAT shower scene in the I’m A Celebrity jungle in 2006, Myleene Klass has been famous for her eye-catching figure.
And over the years her body has never seemed to change — thanks to her being blessed by nature and having a dedication to fitness and a good diet.
But now, after the birth of her third child, Apollo, last August, she reveals she has put on TWO STONE — and she could not care less.
The refreshingly frank star confesses: “When I had my first child, I didn’t know what to expect after the birth. I spent so much time trying to ‘get back’ to who I was before pregnancy — both physically and mentally.
“I remember thinking, ‘This body is new, this isn’t me’. You feel this pressure from all around to go back to your old self, but what I’ve realised is that that is ludicrous.
“You are not the same person you were before you fell pregnant.
“You have gone through a massive change physically and also you are now a mum. That changes everything about who you are. You can’t ever ‘go back’ and you shouldn’t be made to feel that you need to.
“This time round, with Apollo, I’m still 2st heavier than I was before pregnancy, but I feel completely relaxed about it.”
Despite her figure being celebrated by fans, the 42-year-old mum of three and Smooth Radio host says it took her years to learn to be kind to her body — and she admits she spent years worrying about her looks.
Myleene says: “In my 20s, I was all over the shop. I cared about my figure and my appearance and what people thought.”
It was in 2013, when her then husband, Graham Quinn, walked out on her after just six months of marriage, that everything started to change for the star.
She explains: “This is when I settled into who I actually wanted to be. I was suddenly a single mum and I had to deal with that happening and almost instantly no one else’s opinions about me mattered.
“I had to prioritise my family and I just thought, ‘I don’t have time to worry if you think my bum looks big in this’.”
Speaking from her home in London — where she lives with Apollo, her two daughters, Ava, 12, and Hero, nine, and businessman boyfriend Simon Motson, 45 — Myleene says lockdown has allowed her to have more relaxed time with Apollo than with her previous babies.
Some days during lockdown I think, ‘I’ve totally got this’ then the next I’m like, ‘What IS this’
Myleene Klass
“Some days during lockdown I think, ‘I’ve totally got this’ then the next I’m like, ‘What IS this’.”
“I think that’s how a lot of people feel and we are just all riding out the rollercoaster together.
“I’ve just recently had a baby so lockdown for me and my family has centered around him. It’s actually been amazing because it’s the first time I’ve had proper maternity leave.
“I don’t have a ‘normal’ job, so with the girls I was so busy when I had them. Lockdown has basically given me an enforced maternity leave. It’s made me completely slow down.
“I’ve not had to express [milk] in four months, I’m not racing home from work to sit and pump while working out timings for feeds.
“This time round I’ve fed on demand, I’m at home way more and I feel much more relaxed about it all.”
And Myleene admits other areas of her life became more relaxed after lockdown started.
She says: “The first few weeks all routine went out the window and I treated it like a holiday.
“We had cocktails every night, pie and cheese platters, stayed up late and just enjoyed it. Three weeks in, I was tired of that. I wanted green veg, better sleep and regular exercise.
“I hate working out alone, so we’ve been doing it as a family three times a week. I set up stations like skipping or boxing and we all swap round them for about 30 minutes.”
Myleene was in a good position to polish her family’s fitness regime after launching her MyBody By Myleene 12-week home workout programme two years ago.
She adds: “Exercise has always been a coping mechanism for me during times of stress and it’s been important during lockdown not just for me, but for the girls too.
“We feel vulnerable now, so showing them the effect exercise has on the mind — taking you away from your worries — is an important life message.
“We are being constantly reminded that obesity contributes to Covid so it’s important to stay healthy in my 40s.”
Another reason staying fit has been weighing on her mind is because she is good friends with fellow Smooth radio host Kate Garraway, whose husband Derek Draper has been severely ill with coronavirus.
Myleene has been filling in for Kate at Smooth Radio and last week the singer helped Kate organise a party for her son Billy’s 11th birthday.
She says: “I have been sitting in Kate’s chair every day which is a constant reminder of the seriousness of the situation.
“I’ve been supporting her as her husband has been in intensive care and I helped to plan a birthday party for her son last week.
“It’s this that keeps me grounded and helps me remember what is important to me, and that’s my family.”
Myleene, who has been with Simon for five years, says entering into a new serious relationship later in life made her look for different things in a partner. She says: “What I thought I wanted in a partner in my 20s is different from what I want from a partner in my 40s.
“It’s not about big romantic gestures — it’s about the little things every day.
“I now have a best friend who leaves me little notes on my flask for work or has lunch ready for me when he knows I need the energy after work to breastfeed.
“We have made that agreement to be there for each other.”
Myleene made headlines last week after she very publicly defended her decision to breastfeed and posted a gallery of photos on Instagram of herself feeding Apollo.
She says: “After that post I’d never had a response like it. I learned so many mums feel judged.
“I’d seen images of mums looking really glamorous showing off their pumping skills with ease, making it seem like it was nothing, and I just thought — this is so misrepresented.
“I went through mastitis, blocked milk ducts, bras cutting into my shoulders, cracked nipples, leaking through my shirt at work, desperately pumping before going on stage, the constant worry about timing pumping and feeding right.
“So when, at this point of total exhaustion, someone comes at you with a hurtful comment or tells you to ‘go to the toilets’ to breastfeed, it doesn’t matter how strong you are — that one comment can leave you feeling broken.
I went through mastitis, blocked milk ducts, bras cutting into my shoulders, cracked nipples, leaking through my shirt at work, desperately pumping before going on stage, the constant worry about timing pumping and feeding right.
Myleene Klass
“Is there anything that could make you any lower than being told to feed your baby in a toilet? Somewhere no adult would ever dream of going to eat.
“Not all women have the choice to breastfeed, but they can be left devastated because of the pressure on them. I’ve had comments on my breastfeeding pictures saying, ‘Why are you posting a topless photo?’.
“And I am flabbergasted because I’m like, ‘Can’t you see the baby?’.
“I will admit I wasn’t always this confident. With Ava I used to cover my breasts with a muslin cloth because I wasn’t confident enough to stand up to people’s opinions.
“But all that has changed now. I won’t ever cover my baby while they are feeding. If you get offended by it, it says more about you than it does me.”
As well as being a mum to Apollo and hosting her radio show, Myleene has become the Joe Wicks of music teaching, hosting lessons with her girls during lockdown.
She says: “I’ve loved doing the classes and I can’t believe how many people tune in to them. I’ve even heard teachers are setting my classes to their students as I’ve stuck to the curriculum.
“I’ll admit home-schooling overall is a nightmare. Not only am I not an expert in algebra or Latin, it’s also a full-on job making sure the wifi is connected to all the correct devices.
“I’m usually limiting the girls’ screen time when they are at home, but instead I have to encourage it, which is also strange.
“I’ll admit I have been grateful to still go to work. I wouldn’t have worn make-up once and would have not got out of my tracksuit if I didn’t have the radio show.
“As soon as I’m home, though, the nice clothes are straight off.
“I’m in the elasticated waistband, the hair is scooped up into a bun and I’m totally happy like that.”
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