Helen: “Breastfeeding keeps me in shape”

Mum Helen Flanagan is pictured looking happy and healthy as she admits shunning the gym

he only gave birth S to her second daughter, Delilah, in June, but Helen Flanagan looked trim and toned as she soaked up the sunshine with her new baby girl on a beach in Dubai.

The 28-year-old actress – who also has three-yearold daughter Matilda with footballer fiancé Scott Sinclair, 29 – looked happy and healthy in a white bikini.

Despite appearing to quickly bounce back to her size 8-10 pre-baby figure, Helen recently revealed to Closer that she doesn’t have a strict gym regime.

She told us, “I don’t know who would look after my baby if I had a gym session! Scott’s always training and when he comes back I’ve got more important things to do, like sorting out Matilda.

“I’m not really a person who sits down and chills anyway. I’m always running around after Matilda or taking Delilah out in the pram. Breastfeeding really gets you into shape, too, as you have to burn a lot and you need to eat a healthy diet. You’re not going to eat junk if you know it’s going into your milk. It is all about balance.”

The Coronation Street star has been open about her past battle with food, and two years ago revealed that she was “obsessed with being skinny” between the ages of 16-23. But as she approaches 30, Helen says she finally feels body confident.

She recently said, “I feel like the older you get, you just feel more comfortable in your own skin. You become happier and more relaxed. And as a mum, you learn not to sweat the small stuff. As long as the girls are OK, then everything is cool. I just treasure all the time I have with them while they’re little.”