Ali Bastian
FORMER HOLLYOAKS ACTRESS ALI BASTIAN, 37, TELLS US ABOUT EMBRACING HER HIPS AND HER OBSESSION WITH CHOCOLATE HEIGHT 5FT 8IN WEIGHT 10ST DRESS SIZE 10
Hi Ali! Do you feel body confident?
Like most women I’m on and off with that. I don’t think I would be being very honest if I was like, “Oh yes, I wake up every day and feel brilliant about my body all the time.” But I really try not to give myself a hard time because that’s not good for anyone. I try to be kind to myself.
What are your body hang-ups?
I’m quite curvy and I’ve always had big hips, but it’s just the shape I am. It’s funny – for my wedding [in February] I chose a dress that really showed off my curves. That was the bit I wanted to celebrate because that’s what makes me feel feminine and like a woman. We see images of how women “are supposed to look”, but I’m at a point in my life where I want to be OK with all of those parts of me.
What’s your exercise regime like?
At the moment I’m doing a lot more yoga than anything else – I practise three to four times a week. I also love Spinning classes.
Would you become a yoga instructor?
I have done two teaching qualifications and I have taught a little bit over the years, but doing those courses was more for me, personally.
Are you a healthy eater?
Intermittently. I really enjoy food and cooking and eating. The most recent thing that’s going on in my house is that we are trying to eat less meat and that’s for loads of reasons, not just for our health.
What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to food?
I’m a chocoholic! I love Green & Black’s but I also love Maltesers.
What’s your takeaway of choice?
Chinese. I have sweet and sour chicken, crispy shredded chilli beef and dumplings.
Have you ever tried a quick-fix diet?
I have only ever lasted about five minutes on any of them. I even tried the lemon juice diet but only lasted about two days!
What’s your top advice for staying healthy?
Finding a way to de-stress in this incredibly busy world that we live in can actually do more good than anything else.