AMY WILLERTON

24, TV presenter and former Miss Universe Great Britain

‘I developed faster than other girls at school and had curves by the age of 14, so I got a lot of unwanted attention from older boys and men, which felt intimidating. I resented my figure for making me a target, and it was the start of a complicated relationship with my body.

In my teens, I compared myself to other girls and wished my athletic legs were skinny. I began modelling at 15 after being scouted and entered my first beauty pageant at 17, which I was shocked to win. It gave me a lot of confidence.

I’ve always been aware of the darker side of modelling. On one of my first photo shoots, I saw a gorgeous girl my age eating cotton wool balls to fill herself up, and it broke my heart. I’d always had a healthy attitude to food – and that day I swore I’d never punish myself like that just to be slimmer.

As I’ve got older, I’ve become kinder to myself. I don’t hit the gym to get a body like Kim Kardashian’s, I go to make my body look the best it can. I lift weights once or twice a week and can squat 10 to 15 reps of my body weight, about 60kg. In the morning I load up on carbs like oats or rye bread to fuel me during the day, I have a salad or sandwich for lunch, and for dinner I have a fistful of carbs and protein-rich foods like chicken, fish and lentils. I never count calories or deprive myself, I just eat sensible-sized portions.

Fitness isn’t just about how you look, though. I was the last woman standing in Channel 4’s The Jump this year and I put on 1kg because of the muscle I built, but my clothes fit better now. I love and respect the legs I once hated because they’ve helped me achieve so much.’ Amy’s hair range Hair Flick is on sale now in Peacocks stores nationwide