Secrets of Tziporah’s beach body overhaul.
THE FORMER MODEL PLANS TO SHED EVEN MORE KILOS
Tziporah Malkah never used to be a fan of miso soup – but now she maintains that a bowlful a day keeps the kilos away. “Bland? Not at all. It’s delicious!” insists the 45-yearold show pony, who consumes the nutritious soybean broth every single night.
“It’s now all I have for dinner,” adds Tziporah, whose evening meal was once a bucket of fried chicken and a tray of cheeses with a packet of crackers.
“That’s why I was size 22 and morbidly obese. But those days are gone – forever!” she flashes her radiant smile.
Not content with having shed a whopping 30kg last year, Tziporah, now down to 90kg and size 18, is hell-bent on losing another 20kg within two months. “You know those teeny weeny little summer shorts that look great on long legs in summer? I want to be wearing them again soon, once I reach my new target, 70 kilos,’ she tells New Idea.
“Since I began losing weight last year, I already feel like a different person, but I’m still overweight. I’m looking forward to losing more.”
Sipping a chamomile tea, she enthuses, “I can’t tell you how great it is to feel lighter – not to have to go shopping for clothes in the plus-plus size warehouses. Now I can buy clothes off the rack, which is wonderful.”
Tziporah’s new aim is to reach a size 14.
“I’d already be almost down to my dream size except I got a little distracted during the festive season! Lots of parties, lots of events. But now I’m ready to focus on this.”
Helping her along the way is hypnotist Mark Stephens, whose sessions have changed Tziporah’s outlook on food. “He’s made the world of difference. Listening to him, I visualise a lighter, happier me, and it works. Not only am I changing what I eat, I’m reducing portions. I probably should have dragged him around with me to all the Christmas parties,” she giggles.
“Still, I’ve gone back to him now and it’s working.”
Boyfriend Justin Green, a gym owner, is also supportive of her efforts. “Obviously I’m lucky I can use his gym whenever I like, so I’m regularly doing weights there. But Justin has never pressured me to lose weight to look better for him, he just wants me to be happy.
“He’s also a good motivator. If we’re at a party and I’m reaching for my fourth champagne, he’ll quietly remind me, ‘maybe that’s enough for now’. Not in a nagging way, but in a supportive way.”
Motivating the I’m A Celebrity … Get Me out of Here! star to shed more weight is her desire to do more TV work this year.
“I look at women around my age like Sonia Kruger, who at 50+ looks so fantastic, and Kerri-anne. Let’s face it, the bar is high for women in TV to still look great in their 40s and beyond. If I want to keep working in showbiz I realise I have to look as good as possible.
“I mean, I’m never going to be a rake. But at my age, when
trimming down, you have to make a decision – ‘what’s more important, your head or your a--e?’ I’d rather still have a pretty face and a few curves! So I’ll know when to stop,” she laughs.
Noticeably more relaxed these days, Tziporah says she’s no longer reliant on the heavy medication she took for nine months last year “to control my deep depression and anxiety. I’m convinced that, for a while, that medication was what I needed.
“I was in a bad, bad way.
I’d come out of a serious relationship that ended badly, had some court battles, and was moving back to Sydney after decades, all in the space of a few weeks. It was almost too much for me,” she reflects.
“The move back to Sydney was very daunting. I didn’t know how I’d be received. When
I was last there 20 years ago I was a beautiful, wealthy young model with the world at my fingertips. Since then, I’d had so many ups and downs, including being homeless for two years.”
But thankfully, she now feels settled in the harbour city. “I’ve reconnected with old friends and made a new life for myself.
As my deep depression lifted, I gradually cut down on the heavy medication till it reached the point that my doctor took me off it altogether and switched me to something much lighter.
“Friends are noticing the difference. I’m much more lucid and less sluggish and because I’m now eating and exercising in a more healthy way, I have much more energy.”
She adds, “I’m grateful my life is so much better, but I’ll never forget what it was like to be homeless for two years, which is why I will continue to support charities for the homeless. I know what it feels like to be hungry and have no money.”
Tziporah reflects, “I used to feel pretty lonely but there’s much more to wake up for these days. The prospect of losing another 20 kilos is exciting for me as by the end of this I’ll know I’ve done everything in my power to be the healthiest I can be.”
With more TV work in the pipeline, a busy social life and a supportive boyfriend, “life’s really looking up. I’m just looking forward to being able to get down to the beach, looking less Peppa Pig in my swimsuit, and more Jessica Rabbit!”
“I’D STILL RATHER HAVE A PRETTY FACE AND A FEW CURVES SO I’LL KNOW WHEN TO STOP”