‘I don’t want to be skinny!’

Her weight has fluctuated over the years, but last year, Frankie Essex, 31, told Closer on our shoot that she finally felt free of her body demons and revealed how happy she is in her skin.

Frankie, 31, who’s 5ft 7in, has been open about her struggles and has yo-yoed between a size 8 and a size 16 over the years – but she told us of her joy as she slimmed down to her target weight of 11st after rediscovering her love of exercise.

Frankie – who found fame on TOWIE in 2011 alongside brother Joey – beamed in the pictures, saying, “For the first time in ages, I feel good about myself. I can see changes everywhere. I’ve also learned so much about diet and exercise in the last five months. Strength training is the best!

“l’ll never be a slim girl, and I don’t want to be skinny – I’ve got a bum! Accepting that has been good for me.”