Not much of a looker, Mr Inverdale? LOOK AGAIN!

After the veteran BBC commentator’s ill-judged comments, tennis ace Marion Bartoli issues the ultimate rebuke: ...and this regime is how she did it

WHEN long-serving BBC commentator John Inverdale said tennis star Marion Bartoli was ‘never going to be a looker,’ it sparked a sexism row and hasty apologies all round.

But not only were his remarks regrettable, they have also proved inaccurate – as the 2013 Wimbledon champion has undergone a remarkable transformation, dropping twoand-a-half stone to boast the lean frame of a catwalk model

She has been showing off the results of her new fitness regime in a stunning series of photographs posted on her Instagram and Twitter accounts.

She grins broadly as she displays the toned arms and washboard stomach of her new eight-and-a-half stone physique. The images show her working out and displaying the results in a strapless bikini on a Mykonos beach.

Since retiring from professional tennis just 40 days after her Wimbledon win, she has launched a new career in jewellery design and is about to embark on a course at Central Saint Martins, the acclaimed London design school.

It is all a remarkable change for the Frenchwoman who admits she has battled with her weight for most of her life because of her sweet tooth and the stress of the circuit.

She attributes her astonishing weight loss to a gluten-free diet, a healthier lifestyle and a new exer- cise regime. ‘My body has adjusted to my new life,’ she told a French publication. ‘I pamper myself.

‘Before, it was the opposite; I pushed my body to 1,000 per cent. I now do lots of yoga, lots of stretching, lots of Pilates, and have lots of massages. I look after myself and I feel more at peace with my body.’

At the 2013 Wimbledon tournament, Inverdale caused controversy by tell- ing Radio 5 Live listeners: ‘I just wonder if her dad did say to her... “Listen, you are never going to be, you know, a looker. You are never going to be somebody like a Sharapova... so you have to compensate for that. You are going to have to be the most dogged, determined fighter anyone has ever seen on the tennis court.”’

But the pair became friends after Inverdale, and the BBC, apologised.

LEAN LOOK: Bartoli at an event in Cannes this month

EATING HIS WORDS: John Inverdale made his remarks days before Bartoli won the 2013 Wimbledon title, top

BEFORE AND AFTER: Images posted online show how Bartoli has transformed her figure from January, left, to now, right, thanks to a gym and Pilates regime. ‘I trained myself,’ she says, ‘and I feel more at peace with my body.’