Katie Waissel: “My body looks better since I had my baby”
Former X Factor star Katie Waissel reveals all about shaping up, learning to cope with life as a single parent and swearing off men!
Arriving for Closer’s photo shoot, Katie Waissel is looking incredible and fizzing with energy. The 33-year-old former X Factor star reveals she has been on a health kick and has lost 2st and three dress sizes in just seven months.
It’s been a big year for the star. Not only has she shaped up and gained an impressive set of abs, she also relocated back home to the UK after seven years in America, in a bid to start life over as a single mum.
And the former singer – who gave birth to her son Hudson in July last year with ex-partner Andy Speer – says she has never felt better or stronger.
She tells Closer, “I can’t believe what my body is capable of. In many ways, it’s better than before I had a baby. When
I look in the mirror I actually stop in disbelief, because I can’t believe it’s me and that my cellulite has gone.
“Don’t get me wrong, my boobs are as flat as pancakes from breastfeeding and my nipples are five inches long, but I’ve worked hard.
I’m more toned and sculpted, and I feel stronger.”
TOUGH YEAR
Katie – who is now an ultratoned size 8 and just over 8st – credits the results of her transformation on ditching sugary foods and exercising three times a week. During the process, she’s also become a newly qualified personal trainer.
But while the 5ft 5 singer is overjoyed with her new figure, Katie is the first to admit the past year hasn’t always been easy.
The new mum felt isolated after leaving her life in America to be nearer to her family. And by her own admission, she was “too overprotective” of Hudson to notice her eating habits had fallen by the wayside.
She candidly explains, “There was a lot that I struggled with. I was raising a child alone, I’d done an international move and I was trying to adjust to my new life. Hudson was a terrible sleeper and I’d be up most of the night breastfeeding and then I’d feel ravenous. I didn’t have time to make proper meals, so I’d have blocks of cheddar cheese, or half a tub of mayonnaise on slices of thick, white bread to give myself a sugar rush. I was having a chocolate bar every day. I don’t blame myself as I was in a really bad spot.”
While Katie has been relishing her new role as a mum, she openly admits that the strain of being a single parent affected her emotionally and physically. She adds, “I felt a huge sense of responsibility to constantly be around Hudson so that he never felt abandoned. His dad and I split when I was eight months pregnant – he’s still in contact, but I put pressure on myself to make Hudson feel loved.”
BREAKING POINT
The star, who found fame on The X Factor in 2010 and had a very public falling-out with her mentor Cheryl, adds, “I didn’t have a social life and I refused help from my parents, because I didn’t want Hudson to wonder where I was.
If I had five minutes to myself, I’d be on the couch eating a takeaway that was meant for two people.”
But Katie reached breaking point when a clothes shopping trip to a shopping centre left her in tears. She explains, “Before Hudson, I didn’t need to try on clothes as I knew what looked good. Months after he was born, I walked into a shop and was overwhelmed. Nothing fitted or suited, and I left crying. I just wanted to hide away.
“It got to the stage where I’d get out of breath running around after Hudson. He was getting heavier and I didn’t have the strength to carry him for long, so I knew I had to make changes.”
Katie, who was still well within a healthy weight range, was determined to become “fitter and healthier”, Katie found a gym with a crèche, which meant she was able to work out with Hudson close by, and with the support of other mums. She tells us, “On the first day, I couldn’t even manage a pull-up and I burst into tears… again! I felt defeated before I’d even started. But I went back and started HIIT [high-intensity interval training] classes for new mums, which was less intimidating. I lost fat around my stomach within 8-12 weeks, and then I focused on weight-lifting and boxing to become more sculpted. I couldn’t touch my toes before, but now
I’m more flexible because of yoga classes.”
FINDING LOVE AGAIN
Katie also made changes to her diet, ditching takeaways and carb-laden meals for salad bowls made with tuna, cheese and quinoa, and snacking on hard-boiled eggs. She adds, “It’s less about finding a quick-fix or being skinny; I’ve made these changes so that I can be a stronger and healthier mum going forward.” And as she looks to the future, Katie – who was been through two divorces, from model Brad Alphonso in 2012, and comedian Brian Moote in 2016 – admits finding love again won’t be on the agenda any time soon. She laughs, “I’m not dating anyone, I’m pretty much a house plant!
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve dated a few guys, but it’s different now I’m a single mum. Every day is still a process for me, and I’m getting through it. My time is valuable and I won’t waste it by interviewing them about why they should be in my life. I’ve been hurt so much, I’m just not emotionally ready to take any risks. Hudson is my priority now!”
‘I look in the mirror… and I can’t believe it’s me’