Chanelle: “I’ve gained 3st – but I’m confident whatever my size”
As she yo-yos back to a size 18, mum-of-two Chanelle Hayes insists she’s happy with her curves but vows to slim next year for the sake of her health
At the start of the A year, Chanelle Hayes vowed to get a “revenge body” when her partner Ryan Oates left her just weeks after she’d given birth to their son Frankie.
By the summer, she seemed well on her way to reaching her size 10 goal, posting a picture in July of herself in skinny jeans and a plunging top, alongside one of her from April, looking dramatically different. She even told fans she was “buzzing” over her weight loss, insisting that “slow and steady wins the race.”
However, the former Big Brother star – who’s on holiday in Spain – was pictured last week in a bikini looking curvier again. And pals say that after her initial success with her diet, she “wanted to enjoy life instead” and the pounds have slowly crept back on.
A close friend of the 31 year old tells Closer, “Chanelle had been on the Celebrity Slim diet of meal replacement shakes and was really trying to lose weight, but she found it quite intense and struggled. She didn’t want a diet to dictate her life so started to relax it a little as she wanted to enjoy herself and have a homely pasta dish or a cheese sandwich and crisps if she wanted them. She says she’s now a size 18, but she’s adamant she’d rather be happy than deny herself simple pleasures.”
The pal adds, “She’d got down to a size 12-14 over the summer and was really pleased. But she’s got a young family and, like many mums, she says she falls into the trap of snacking on the kids’ food. She’ll take a bit from what they’ve left on their plates, then enjoy some snacks.
“If she’s had a bad night with the boys, she’ll be tired, and says she craves sugary treats for energy. Chanelle admits she’s around 15st now but she’s not letting it get her down. She’s shaped up before and says she can do it again and will focus more in the new year.”
‘SIZE 10 BRIDE’
Shortly after 5ft 3 Chanelle gave birth to Frankie in August 2017, she told Closer that she was 16st and was focused on losing 4st so that she could be a “size 10 bride.” But weeks later, her marriage plans were derailed when Ryan left her just two months after their son was born – leading Chanelle to pledge that she would achieve a size 10 “revenge body” to “show Ryan
what he was missing.”
And her friends say Chanelle – who is also mum to son Blakely, eight, with footballer ex Matthew Bates – is still determined to achieve her goal in 2019.
The pal adds, “She won’t begin her health kick until the new year, and says it will be easier then as lots of people will be doing the same.
PUNISHING HERSELF
“For now, she’s happy to just enjoy the run-up to Christmas with the boys and indulge if she wants to. She’s happy with her body as it is, and knows there’s nothing wrong with how she looks – despite what she trolls might say. She’s just too focused on her kids to let anything get her down. She’s had some health problems in the past, but she’s not going to punish herself – happiness comes first.”
Chanelle – who appeared in Big Brother in 2007 and became famous as a skinny Victoria Beckham lookalike – has battled a series of health issues including diabetes and, at one point, was prescribed painkillers due to her weight putting pressure on her joints.
In March last year, she discovered she was pregnant with “miracle” baby Frankie, just months after doctors told her that her weight had made it “basically impossible” to conceive. However, the pregnancy was plagued with issues due to her being classed as obese and placing her in the highest risk bracket. She was left “upset and really concerned” when doctors told her that she could develop gestational diabetes, which can lead to complications including premature labour and pre-eclampsia. And Chanelle told Closer that she felt “guilty” and “regretted being unhealthy” enough to risk her unborn child’s life.
Thankfully, Frankie was delivered safely and she and PE teacher Ryan revealed they were “over the moon.”
The friend adds, “After all the health complications, she really does want to slim down. But she’s not obsessed about her weight, like she was in her Big Brother days, as her children are her priority. Her goal is simply to be happy and healthy.”