My fit body? I only started working out in my 40s, reveals model Naomi

NAOMI Campbell has admitted she only started working out in her 40s. Posing for the cover of Vogue Arabia for the first time, the supermodel said: ‘I got into working out about a year ago.’

She laughed when asked to clarify that she in fact began going to the gym only in her Forties, saying: ‘I don’t do machines, I do circuit training – and I like it.’

Naomi, once famed for her fiery temper, also spoke about the calming influence of yoga.

She said: ‘I wanted to find out more about the origins of yoga. It’s something I’ve never done before. Only two people knew I was there [at yoga] in case of an emergency.’

Keen to learn more about the calming, spiritual part of the practice. Campbell now combines yoga with regular gym sessions.

Naomi, 48, pictured, admitted she is all about optimism these days.

She said: ‘Being in denial is a very dangerous place to be and I’m not someone who’s ever been in that place. I don’t live in fear; I try to live in faith.

‘I’m an optimistic person and I always want to see the best of a situation.’

She was also asked to look back at what it was like working with the famous Supers – the likes of Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford and later Kate Moss.

She said: ‘All the decades have been good to me but the Nineties were just amazing. We were working really hard but we had fun.

‘We’d shoot until 4am and no-one ever complained. It was... an exciting era, especially with all the shows like Gianni Versace and Azzedine Alaïa.’

Naomi also spoke about what it’s like working with 17-year-old Kaia Gerber, her good friend Cindy Crawford’s daughter.

She said: ‘It’s great seeing my friends’ sons and daughters all grown up and on the runway.

‘It’s crazy as I’ve been backstage with Kaia telling her how nervous I am!’

Since being scouted at 15, Campbell has appeared on more than 65 Vogue covers, starting with British Vogue’s December 1987 issue.

She was also the first black model to grace the cover of Vogue Paris, for its August 1988 issue.

The cover shoot for Vogue Arabia, was photographed by Chris Colls.

Throughout the shoot Campbell was poised and direct, and during her exclusive interview, incredibly candid.

‘I’d love to have kids,’ she explained, without divulging extra details of whether she is currently in a relationship. ‘I don’t discount anything in life. I love kids and always will. When I’m around children, I become a child myself. That’s the little girl I don’t ever want to lose.’