‘There’s a lot of pressure to be slim, but I’m happy as a size 16’
The former X Factor winner talks to Closer about why learning to dress for her shape has given her more confidence than ever
When we catch up with Sam Bailey, she’s packing for a W cruise and admits, giggling, that she’s stowed bars of chocolate in her suitcase to keep her going – but she’s not about to give herself a hard time for enjoying a few treats.
In the past, the X Factor star’s diet journey has made headlines. In 2015, she lost 2½st, dropping from a size 18 to a size 12, after having her youngest daughter Miley, now three. But these days, Sam says she’s far more relaxed about her body – and she couldn’t be happier with her figure.
“I’m a size 16 and I’m happy with how I look. I’m not ashamed of my body at all and I don’t weigh myself,” reveals 5ft 3 Sam. “I’d rather judge things by how I feel and what I see when I look in the mirror.”
She admits that being in the public eye has an impact when it comes to body image, and it’s something she had to learn to deal with after being crowned X Factor winner in 2013.
“There is a lot of pressure to look slimmer,” says Sam. “When you’re signed to a record label, they want to promote you as some young thing, but I’m not – I’m 40 and I’m a mum of three, so I don’t worry about it as much now.”
FINDING A BALANCE
She adds, “I lost weight purely from stress, but as I got more comfortable with what I was doing and working to my own time frame, then that stress wasn’t there, I’ve balanced myself and I’m happy in the skin I’m in.”
In fact, she reveals she’s packed a bikini for the first time in years and says learning to dress for her shape has given her body confidence the biggest boost.
“I look back at my first X Factor audition and cringe at what I was wearing!” laughs Sam, who’s currently fronting a fashion campaign for plus-size retailer Yours Clothing. “Now I know it doesn’t matter what size you are – if you’re wearing the right clothes, you can look fantastic.”
She adds, “I don’t normally wear bikinis, but I wore one for this photo shoot and, because of the cut, I felt more comfortable in it than in a swimsuit. These days, I’m happy to walk around in a pair of shorts and a little top and, after having children, I’ve got a great excuse to have a little bit of flab here and there!”
When it comes to eating healthily, Sam, who’s currently touring in the musical Fat Friends, admits that overdoing the carbs is her downfall. She says, “I need to lay off the bread! That’s my naughty, guilty pleasure. At Christmas dinner last year, I had 14 potatoes because my husband Craig makes the most amazing roast potatoes!
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
“But I’ll often have a smoothie or a bowl of fruit as a snack instead of chocolate, and I love vegetables, so in the evening I’ll have chicken with loads of veg. I’m a really fussy eater, so it’s harder to eat healthily when I’m on tour and can’t cook my own food.”
Leicester-based Sam, who’s mum to Brooke, 13, Tommy, nine, as well as threeyear-old Miley, says running around after the kids helps to keep her active. She also enjoys cycling and in 2015 completed the Ridelondon-surrey 100 mile challenge.
She says, “I’m always on the go with the kids – if we’re out for the day we can do
15,000 steps in a few hours. I also play a bit of football and Craig and I take our two dogs out for long walks near our home.
“I’ll probably do Ridelondon again, so Craig and I will train together beforehand to improve my fitness.”
SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE
Sam says she talks to her older children about the importance of living a healthy life, and now that Brooke is a teenager, she’s also mindful of the unrealistic standards that social media can place on kids when it comes to body image.
She adds, “Brooke is starting to pay attention to how she looks and wants to wear nice clothes, but I just tell her to eat healthily and stay active, and that you’ve got to love the skin you’re in.”
That’s Sam’s motto, too, and if she needs an extra confidence boost, she can always count on Craig, whom she’s been married to for 15 years. She reveals, “He’ll say, ‘Oh, you look lovely today, babe’ or he’ll Tweet something nice about what I’m wearing. He’s lovely like that. He doesn’t tell me I’m hot all the time, though, that would be a bit weird! But he says it when he needs to say it.”
‘I tell my daughter to love the skin she’s in’
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