Susanna and Ruth: ‘Our body battles’
TV stars Ruth and Susanna are so relatable with their lockdown and midlife weight woes
Like so many of us, telly favourites Ruth Langsford and Susanna Reid have seen their weight slowly creep up in the last year. However, over recent months, they have been taking steps to lose the pounds – and it’s paying off! So, we thought we’d look into how they’ve done it to get some inspiration… Ruth, who has returned to present This Morning with husband Eamonn Holmes this week, has been doing the Couch to 5K running challenge over the past eight weeks, working her way up from 30 seconds to a 28-minute run, after being inspired by her friend Gok Wan. “I found it really hard,” she admitted on one of her latest jogs. “Had to do a lot of talking to myself towards the end. I’ve realised that a lot of this is a mindset. You have to tell yourself that you can do it. I had to be quite stern with myself today!”
The 61-year-old star, who has son Jack, 19, with Eamonn, recently revealed that it’s a neverending fight to maintain her figure. “I love food and a drink. The cakes are calling to me, they’re winking at me,” she said on Channel 5 show Lose A Stone In Four Weeks For Summer. “Wine o’clock – I look forward to this part of the day. So, I’m constantly battling to keep my weight down, and I’m frequently looking for a way to lose weight. Trying to lose weight is never easy, especially if, like me, you love your food. I start off with great intentions and then I just can’t resist. Dieting is tough.” Like we said, relatable!
The TV star tried on her wedding dress for the programme, and while she could shimmy into it, she couldn’t do it up at the back. “Nowhere near! I can’t believe that, because I thought I was a little bit overweight on my wedding day,” she remarked. “That’s so bad.
I feel a bit fed up now.”
Ruth, who took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, revealed how losing weight is harder post-menopause, which made her go up a dress size and left her “thicker” around the waist, five years ago. “I was a size 12 my whole adult life and now
I’m a 14, a proper 14,” she said. “I used to hear my mum and her friends talking about ‘thickening out’. I look at myself and think, ‘I’ve got no waist any more.’”
Meanwhile, Susanna, who turned 50 last December, has been working hard to lose the “lockdown stone” and the results are clear to see. The Good Morning Britain host looks toned and healthy after regular Peloton cycling workouts and gym sessions. Sus revealed how she splashed out on one of the £1,750 machines last year. “I bought myself a Peloton bike as a 50th birthday present because I thought, ‘If I don’t do some form of exercise, I am going to just spread completely and take up two seats,’” she said. “I would normally go to the gym and do a spin class and maybe Zumba, too, but all of those things are off the agenda because of COVID.”
The mum of three said she struggled to exercise and eat healthily during the pandemic. “During lockdown, frankly
I didn’t get fitter. I did just put on a few pounds, and I’ve ended up with a lockdown stone,” she said in March, adding, “Hot girl summer is a couple of months away, I’ll tell you.” She previously said,
‘I found it really hard’
“There’s been a lot of comfort eating. I’ve definitely eaten out of boredom. I’m definitely the heaviest I’ve been for a long time.”
The presenter lost
1st 7lbs in 2019, after giving up snacks and booze following doctors’ advice. “I feel fantastic,” she said at the time. We know you want to lose a few pounds, ladies, but honestly, you look great to us.