Caprice: “I have to work harder to stay in shape”
The ex-model and lingerie entrepreneur explains why her body changed after giving birth, and how being a mum has tamed her
She rose to fame as a S supermodel in the ’90s, gracing countless magazine covers and catwalks, and was once dubbed the sexiest woman in the world. Fast-forward 20 years and Caprice Bourret looks as incredible as ever. But, refreshingly, the model-turnedentrepreneur – who is set to appear on C4’s The Jump – admits staying in shape isn’t easy.
Caprice, 45, tells Closer: “Your body changes after you have kids and you have to work harder at staying slim. I like my waistline but my butt has always been a problem area; I’d love to be taller and stretch my legs, too.”
The star has been dating millionaire financier Ty Comfort since 2011, and the pair share three-year-old boys Jax and Jett. After years of struggling to conceive, the couple turned to a surrogate to carry their biological baby but, in a twist of fate, Caprice fell pregnant naturally just weeks after her surrogate in 2013 and the brothers were born just a month apart.
And the 5ft 7 former Splash star – who gained over 4st during pregnancy – admits her body hasn’t fully bounced back since giving birth, although she concedes it’s a small price to pay for her “miracle babies.”
LOSING THE BABY WEIGHT
She says: “i worked really hard to get my babies to begin with so I wanted to make sure it was them before me. I didn’t want to go down the road of thinking: ‘I have to lose weight really fast.’ I lost 35lbs with breastfeeding and it took me a year and a half to lose the rest. My whole body changed. The cellulite came on really fast, which was a shock because I’ve never had it. I’m fuller in places that I can’t get rid of and I have to work out harder. My diet has to be a lot more sensible too.”
Caprice – who is a size 8-10 – sticks to a healthy diet and attends Barry’s Bootcamp classes, but she swears by one simple trick. She explains: “If I want to lose a few pounds, I eat properly all day long but I won’t eat after 5pm. If I stick to it then I usually shed weight. Before I was a mum I had so much time to exercise, but I don’t beat myself up if I don’t get a chance to work out.”
Interestingly, the mum-of-two reveals she’s imposed a sugarfree diet on her boys. She says: “I refuse to give my kids sugar. They’ve never tried chocolate and, at home, we don’t have anything Caprice in her with refined sugar. ’90s heyday They’ll be offered cake at school and they won’t eat it. But if they want sugar when they’re older, I wouldn’t stop them.”
The star occasionally relaxes her diet, too. She admits: “I totally cheat! I love a glass of wine and a huge pizza with double cheese and jalapenos – just not that often.”
CRIPPLING INSECURITIES
But Caprice’s attitude is a far cry from her modelling days. While she oozed confidence on the surface, she suffered with crippling insecurities on the inside.
“I was very body-conscious when I was a model, of course,” she says. “I was a size 6 at my lowest. It’s a vain world; I was working out and really looking after myself and it was all about ‘me, me, me.’”
Now the American star – who has her own lifestyle brand By Caprice – refuses to focus on the scales. She reveals: “Modelling was constant exercise and having to be sensible about what I ate – now I don’t care. I look back and think, thank God that’s behind me. If I need to grab a big fat bowl of pasta or a Mars Bar I’ll have it.”
And while she’s quashed plastic surgery
rumours, Caprice hasn’t completely ruled out going under the knife. She says: “I have wrinkles but I don’t worry about ageing. If I want to have something done, then I’ll do it, but these days it feels great to not care.”
DOMESTIC BLISS
Meanwhile, Caprice – who was once a regular on the party circuit – admits she’s happily swapped private jets and hanging out with A-listers for a life of domesticity in her west London mansion.
She explains: “I did the party scene to death. I had a massage every week, a tennis coach and a personal trainer but now nothing in my life is about me. I don’t hang out with the people that I used to; nowadays we hang out with other couples and their kids. I’ve lived to the fullest and now I’m ready to just commit my life to my family.”
And while she’s usually chasing after her two boys while running her business, Caprice admits she relished a chance to take a break and appear on The Jump.
She says: “It’s been great so far. Robbie Fowler is my ski buddy and I love Bradley [Wiggins] too. After Christmas I was a little pear-shaped, but I lost 4lbs in the first four days, which was incredible. We train so hard in the freezing cold, but it’s not a bad price to pay when you’re burning calories!”
Move over spirulina, M Kakadu plums and goji berries. These superfoods might be packed with goodness, but most of us don’t have the time or money to eat “trendy” foods, favoured by A-listers. However, you don’t need to spend a fortune on super-healthy foods.
“Most people think superfoods are expensive and only found in specialist shops,” says nutritionist Juliette Bryant, author of Superfoods And How To Use Them (£12, Juliettebryant.com). “But you’ll find some of the best in your local supermarket.
“Caught up in the hype over the latest must-have superfoods, we’ve lost touch with the fact there are plenty of everyday foods, such as apples, beetroot, carrots, watercress or lemons, that can heal our bodies.
“A superfood is any food that has a large amount of beneficial nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, essential fats, protein, carbohydrates, fibre, enzymes and healing phytochemicals.”
Load up on these clever foods, which are full of goodness…
STEP 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Line a tray with parchment paper. STEP 2 Combine 65g oats, 35g spelt flour, 20g ground almonds, 1/2tsp salt and 40g Demerara sugar in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together 1 small egg, 1tbsp maple syrup and 2tsp vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, along with 40g chocolate chips, and combine into a smooth dough. STEP 3 Spoon little mounds on to the baking tray. Flatten with the back of a spoon and cook for 10 mins, until golden brown. STEP 4 Leave to cool, then serve as you desire.
Recipe adapted from The Fast Days Cookbook by Laura Herring (Hardie Grant, £12.99)
Where do you shop? i shop online the majority of the time because it’s easier and i can sit in my bed while i’m doing it. i’m lazy! i usually shop at tesco or asda. What is your typical daily diet? breakfast is usually peanut butter on toast, which keeps me going for ages. or if i’m being healthy i’ll have porridge. lunch is usually a tuna sandwich on brown bread or soup, while dinner is typically chicken salad with sweet potato. i snack on ham – i’m a savoury girl, really – or chocolate. if i’m feeling naughty, i’ll have melted chocolate on cookies for dessert. is there anything you refuse to eat? no, i’ll eat anything and everything. i’m the best person to take home to your mum for dinner! What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? i’ve eaten gravy granules before – and i used to eat frozen peas straight from the packet! What would you cook to impress someone? it’s got to be my spaghetti bolognese – it’s the one thing i’m confident on. alex [bowen, olivia’s boyfriend] loves it.
Olivia is launching The Luxe Collection for Hair Rehab London, founded by Lauren Pope. Visit Hairrehablondon.com