The reality TV star, mum to eight-month-old Dolly, has had a tough 12 months by anyone’s standards, after a very public split and a bitter war of words with her ex-fiancé, cage fighter Alex Reid.
Still only 29, she’s had a pretty stressful love-life – and she admits that, at times in the past, it’s taken its toll on her body.
'My weight definetly fluctuates depending on how I'm feeling. But I've regained my figure sensibly and healthily since giving birth'
She dropped to a tiny size 6 after her marriage with singer Preston (aka Samuel Preston) broke down in 2007 and, over the years, her weight has changed. She admits that her weight can alter depending on how she’s feeling and that she’s been in no rush to snap back into shape since having Dolly, taking her time to get her pre-baby figure back.
And she reveals that becoming a mother has changed her attitude to dieting. She tells Closer: “My weight definitely fluctuates depending on how I’m feeling. But I’ve regained my figure sensibly and healthily since giving birth.”
'I hated how I looked in a bikini. I decided it was time to make some changes'
In September 2011 – five months after getting together with Alex – Chantelle fell pregnant with Dolly, but she and Alex split just three months after Dolly was born. She then famously let rip on Twitter, saying she’d walked in on him dressed as his alter ego, Roxanne, in their home, which she claimed he’d turned into a “sex dungeon.”
And her body buckled under the stress. She says: “The stress made me lose weight – I’m not sure how much – but when I got my appetite back, it was easier to grab junk food than healthy options and I went up to a size 12-14.”
Last November, she went on a much-needed holiday to Tenerife with Dolly to cheer herself up. But being in a bikini left her feeling down.
'I'm letting my best mates choose my next boyfriend. I'd love a big traditional wedding, but with the right guy'
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She says: “It was the first time I’d worn a bikini since I’d had Dolly and I had a real mum tum. In fact, I hated how I looked in a bikini. I decided it was time to make some changes. I started making more effort with my appearance and felt it was the right time to lose the weight and feel good again.”
Over the past three months, 5ft 7 Chantelle has been following a low-fat vegetarian diet and exercising with a military-style personal trainer – and she’s shed 2st of baby weight. She says she feels amazing being back to her usual size 10 and 9st, adding: “I took my time and there are still parts of my body I want to work on, like my wobbly tummy, but for the first time in months, I feel like my old self again. I didn’t feel pressure to lose the weight straight away – Dolly was my priority.”
And Chantelle says she feels so much better about life now. She says: “I feel really good at the moment. I was obviously a bit daunted about getting into a bikini for the Closer shoot, but I’m happy with my body again. It’ll never be quite the same again because I’ve had a baby, but I’m fine with that.”
She adds: “I’m enjoying the mental boost that working out gives me. I feel strong and positive and I’m excited about the future.”
Chantelle reveals she ate what she liked when she was pregnant and, while she gained weight on her tum, her slim legs stayed the same. She says: “My mum, Vivien, joked I looked like an olive on a cocktail stick because I was this big bump with two skinny legs. I loved being pregnant and had quite an easy time compared with some women.”
To lose weight, Chantelle cut back on junk food and alcohol and started training with the No 1 boot camp and a personal trainer two to three times a week for an hour.
This healthy lifestyle is a far cry from 2007, when Chantelle was in the grip of bulimia and dropped to 8st and a size 6, after her marriage to Preston broke down.
'I hope I can have more kids in the future. With my fertitility issues I'd be really lucky to have another baby'
“That’s all in the past now, but I’ve got to be careful to keep a handle on the bulimia when I’m feeling stressed because that’s when I used to do it,” she admits. “But I’ve got Dolly now – it’s not just about me any more.
“I’ve tried every diet going and I’ve considered lipo in the past, but I’d never do anything as extreme as that now. It’s taken me nearly 30 years to realise that being slim and maintaining my weight is about eating healthily and exercising.
I’ve also been taking a natural energy-boosting supplement called Capsiplex, which is made from chilli extracts and is known to speed up the metabolism. It’s given me the energy to do my workouts and has definitely helped with my weight loss.”
Chantelle, who describes herself as “very single,” also reveals she’s made amends with Alex, who sees Dolly twice a week. She says they’re “amicable,” adding: “There’s still a lot more that went on that I haven’t revealed – but I’m saving that for my next autobiography.”
As well as her split with Alex and divorce from Preston, Chantelle also had a tempestuous relationship with TV presenter Rav Wilding in 2011 – and she’s the first to admit she hasn’t had the best luck with men.
“I’m letting my best mates choose my next boyfriend,” she jokes. “I’d love a big traditional wedding, but with the right guy – someone normal. I want another baby, too. To be honest, I’d just keep going! At least four kids would be nice.”
Before she had Dolly, doctors had told Chantelle that years of extreme dieting had left her with fertility problems that would mean she’d need IVF. However, she conceived naturally and says: “I hope I can have more kids in the future. With my fertility issues, I’d be really lucky to have another baby.”