Anatomy of an A-lister: Keira Knightley’s fitness secrets

Here’s the downlow on Keira’s body beautiful

#033 Keira Knightley

Once criticised for her naturally skinny frame, Keira used to have a difficult relationship with her body. But after becoming a mum to her two-year-old daughter Edie, she says, “You go, ‘Wow, my body is totally amazing, and I’m never going to not like it again, because it did this, and this is f**king extraordinary.’” Now the actress – who will star as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Disney’s The Nutcracker And The Four Realms later this year – says she sticks to an active, healthy lifestyle, incorporating yoga and boxing sessions to keep her slender physique in check.

Mini meals

Keira’s a big foodie, however she prefers six small meals a day and practises portion control to ensure she never misses out on her fave treats. Keira also says she eats when she’s hungry, and has plenty of fruit and veg.

GYM’N’SLIM

Since she finds exercise a bit of a chore, Keira does three 90-minute sessions a week with a personal trainer to make sure she’s not slacking off. She does resistance training to tone her muscles and build endurance, and stretching and swimming to stay lean.

Hashtag horrors

Unbelievably, Keira was considered too big for Hollywood, claiming, “There’s so much pressure to be thin, blonde and busty. I’m skinny, but even I couldn’t fit into some of the clothes there.”

SKIN SECRETS

The actress prefers minimal make-up to allow her skin to have a break when she isn’t filming, as she admits she suffered with breakouts up to the age of 24. “In the mornings I use a moisturiser and then just concealer, never a foundation. I like to see skin through make-up, so I think less is always more,” she says.

Mum-bod goals

It’s taken having a baby for her to ditch her body insecurities. She says. “I thought Iwas going to go, ‘God, I’ve got to get back into shape.’ I [actually] went, ‘F**k that, I’m not putting that pressure on myself in any way.’”