After a decade of body battles, Tricia Penrose reveals it was the devastating news that her mum, Sue Gordon, 58, was fighting lung cancer that was the wake-up call she needed to stop obsessing about her size.
“When you find out your mum has advanced lung cancer, it puts everything into perspective' she said.
“Me and Mum are so close, we’re more like sisters. She’s always told me I look gorgeous at any size and hated me dieting. When she was diagnosed in July 2010, I vowed never to diet again. It made me realise that life’s too short to be constantly calorie counting.”
And, since swearing off diets, the star – who now weighs 10st 5lbs – says she’s more confident about her size 12-14 body than ever.
'I get more compliments now than I did when I was skinny'
“I’ve been every size from an 8 to a 16 when I was pregnant, but I no longer care if I’m a bit bigger. I’m learning to love my curves. They’re sexy!” she says. “I get more compliments now than I did when I was skinny.”
In May 2010, Closer helped her shed more than 1∂st on a low-fat, calorie-controlled diet, which saw her get down to a healthy 9∂st and drop from a size 14 to a 10.
But, after struggling to stick to a healthy calorie intake, Tricia admits that dieting took over her life. “If I’d put on a couple of pounds I’d cancel nights out and sometimes drastically restrict my diet,” she recalls. “Once I counted out five cashew nuts for lunch – that’s how bad it got.
“I’d be at parties with gorgeous celebs and sneak off to the toilet. I’d stand in there thinking: ‘I don’t want to be here, because I feel so fat.’”
But now Tricia’s dieting days are behind her, she says she’s much more relaxed: “You can’t live a full life that way. It’s such a relief not to worry if I’ve put on a pound.”
Tricia also credits husband Mark with boosting her body confidence. “He loves me at any size, but he thinks I’m sexier bigger. He’s always saying: ‘I love your jelly belly!’” she laughs.
Although she’s relaxed her diet, she admits: “I wouldn’t want to creep up to a size 16 or 18, because that would be uncomfortable for my frame. But if I’m a size 14, so be it.”