Pap pics shamed me into getting fit
Towie’s Jess Wright on the amazing regime that got her great body back
FORMER Towie star Jessica Wright has revealed she felt invaded when pictures appeared of her in a bikini on holiday.
The reality TV celeb admits she was upset by how she looked when she was snapped in a blue bikini by a pool last year – and decided to shake up her fitness regime.
Now the 31-year-old has got in shape and is launching new home workout programme Fi7ness by Jessica Wright to help others get toned.
“I have struggled with my weight and fitness regime for my entire life. I had a lack of motivation and determination which made me feel like I never achieved my true fitness potential,” she explained.
“Last year, I had pretty bad pictures taken of me. I didn’t feel like
my body was toned and how I wanted to look. I just felt horrible, I felt invaded.
“They’d taken pictures for five days without me knowing. It was horrible and scary. They followed me from Las Vegas to LA and took pictures of me in a bikini.
“I didn’t like the pictures. I guess it was the kick I needed to get myself in the shape I wanted to be in. But at the same time I didn’t do it for that – I did it for me.
“I do feel I can lay round the pool now without one eye open, worrying about who’s taking pictures. I feel a lot better in myself.
“I think it’s one of the best ways I’ve ever felt because of the programme.”
Jessica, from Essex, has worked as a model and singer. She admits she sometimes feels under pressure in the public eye but added: “That’s what you sign up for. You have to just embrace it and love yourself.”
She finally feels she loves herself but hasn’t found the right man to love just yet. She’s single and says being well-known hasn’t made it more difficult to find love – it’s just maybe not the right time yet.
“I am single but I’m dating. I wouldn’t say it makes it difficult to meet someone,” she said.
“I’m single through choice at the minute. I’m not really ready to settle with anyone unless they’re completely right for my life. I’m not in a massive rush.”
Her brother, TV presenter Mark Wright, married ex-Corrie actress Michelle Keegan two years ago and Jessica admits she would like to find love one day.
Jessica is close to Mark and says she gets on well with Michelle.
“We all want the fairytale,” she said. “I just think, when the time’s right. I’m quite happy on my own.
“I was never going to be the girl that settled down early and got married at 23. That’s not me.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But I’ve always
been the girl who wanted to go out and work, work, work.
“We’re quite a close family. We live around the corner from each other and we go on family holidays. I love having a close family. Eventually that’s what I want to carry on in my life when I have kids.”
And now she feels much more confident with her body after getting in shape with the help of personal trainer Esmee Gummer.
“The experience has completely revolutionised the way I think about my fitness,” Jessica said. “Working out is no longer a chore for me as the variety of exercises kept me motivated and focused towards my end goal.
“I now completely enjoy keeping fit and this programme helps you push yourself at a steady and manageable pace, and still get amazing results.
“It’s changed my life so I wanted to give all women the opportunity to also change theirs.”
She has launched home workout programme Fi7ness by Jessica Wright, which focuses a lot around the number seven – which happens to be her lucky number.
It’s a seven-week programme of 30-minute workouts with seven exercises in each and seven minutes of effort in the cardio sections. It also uses what it describes as the seven primal movements – push, pull, squat, lunge, bend, twist and walk/run.
It’s a combination of toning sessions and cardio high intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions that get progressively more challenging for a whole-body fitness workout.
Jessica says she still managed to enjoy herself while on the programme.
She said: “I’ve not been sat at home for seven weeks not drinking alcohol or eating – I’ve still been having a social life. It’s allowed me to have my social life and still work out.
“It’s around 30 minutes a day, five days a week for seven weeks –and I still get the body I really want.
“I’ve dipped in and out of fitness over the years. But I feel so much better now because I’ve seen the results. It’s just been the motivation I needed to get really fit. I’ve got abs, my legs are toned and my arms – it’s lovely.
“But I’ve not followed it too strictly. I’ve still gone out. It’s about having a healthy lifestyle, it’s not about a strict diet. It’s about sustaining it.”
Jessica says it wouldn’t be practical to deny herself treats and be too restrictive because that