Amanda Byram

Amanda Byram We uncover the secret to the TV star’s bod, and it’s easy: unprocessed, balanced meals with a side of jam-and-sausage sandwiches

My foodie life

What did your mother make you? Mum is a fantastic cook. Her specialty is curry, as my granny on my dad’s side was Iranian and taught mum how to cook amazing curries with fresh spices. What is the meal you will always remember? My first ever meal with my now husband was at one of our favourite Italian restaurants in Fulham, in London, called Gola. We had just met the day before, and we spent a whole day walking and chatting, and ended up at Gola. It’s where we had our first kiss! What is your comfort food? A big bowl of porridge always does it for me. What is your hangover cure? I don’t really drink any more. And hangovers are one of the reasons why. In my drinking days, I would have eaten the hind leg off a donkey! If you could only eat three things for the rest of your life, what’d they be? Porridge; avocados; sashimi. How important is food to you? Food is life for me. I spent years dieting and depriving myself of food groups. Now I get so annoyed with these fad diets that claim cutting carbs is good for you. You can go anywhere and have anything to eat with any one person. Where, what and who? I’d love to sit down with Elvis and have one of those giant sandwiches he used to eat, then he could sing to me afterwards! Favourite restaurant in Ireland? When I was home for DWTS, I lived in Fallon & Byrne’s deli section! I loved Wilde too, and Balfes at the Westbury. And abroad? Miss Chu’s in Sydney. An amazing fast-food Asian place. What’s your sweet treat? Chocolate. I try to make my own from cacao so that it doesn’t feel as indulgent. Worst meal ever? A jam-and-sausage sandwich that one of my nephews made for me. I felt obliged to eat it out of loyalty! What is your guilty pleasure? Pizza. Although the pizza from Gola in Fulham is so delicious you can’t put the word ‘guilt’ anywhere near it! The chef there, Angelo, makes it a work of art. Are you careful about what you eat? Not careful in the sense that I would deprive myself of anything, but careful in the sense that I do not want to put crap into my body. After years of dieting and eating to be ‘thin’, my meals now consist of healthy, unprocessed food. The myth that fat makes you fat is rubbish. Good fats can actually make you slim — it’s excess calories that make you fat. Are there any foods you have cut out or cut down on that you miss? I cut out meat this year, which I do not really miss at all. Caffeine is something that I crave every now and then, but I am an all-or-nothing gal — so one cup and I would be back on the wagon again! What’s your perfect family meal? Christmas at the Byrams is the best. It’s loud and wild, as my sister has four kids, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Watch ‘Body By Byram’, on the RTE Player and let Amanda Byram take you through her collection of six short, high-intensity, full-body workouts. With virtually no equipment or gym membership needed, start your very own fitness regime from the comfort of your own home. See bit.ly/BodybyByram-FullBody

“I get so annoyed with these fad diets that claim cutting carbs is good for you”

In conversation with Sophie White