I’m working out to the Max and my tum’s flatter than ever

which is a source of joy every time she looks in the mirror. She said proudly: “My stomach is the flattest it has ever been.”

This has made dressing for her morning show, which once involved smoke and mirrors and control undercrackers, much easier.

“I can wear what I want now, rather than dressing to disguise,” she said. “When I came back from summer holidays this year I was wearing sleeveless dresses, which I didn’t do in my 20s, 30s or 40s.”

Apart from the odd daft name, there are no gimmicks in Maxine’s classes. Anyone who felt the burn in the 80s will recognise the grapevines and squats in her routines. What she adds is top tunes and a bit of 2016 empowerment and attitude.

She has a cunning way of working lots of different muscle groups at the same time. In the upper body section – the “bingo wing blaster” – arm exercises are performed while squatting.

Some of the aerobic moves are basically vertical sit-ups. But done under a different name, while making a sexy face, they somehow feel like a hot club move rather than a mat-based chore.

Max tried all the fads going before returning to an old school, dance-based routine. She said: “Yoga, pilates, boxercise, pump, spin, step, combat, I’ve done them all.”

She worked in merchant banking for 23 years before swapping her city suits for trainers and crop tops.

The first time Lorraine pitched up in the church hall, with no makeup and her hair in a ponytail, Max could not believe her eyes. She recalled: “I said to the girl on the door that the new Scottish bird sounded like Lorraine Kelly. Back came the reply, ‘It is Lorraine Kelly.’

“I didn’t make a fuss of her, I treated her the same as my other girls. After a year, she asked me to work with her on our first DVD.”

Wooden Hips and Maxamazings, as she is known on Twitter, are now great friends. Lorraine has transformed Max’s career and Max has transformed Lorraine’s body.

And it’s all based on getting sweaty and having a good time.

“The key to losing weight and keeping it off is finding a type of exercise you enjoy,” Lorraine stressed. “If you don’t love it, you won’t do it.” Lorraine: Brand New You is released today