Emma Crosby might love her job presenting GMTV, but she certainly doesn’t relish the alarm clock going off at 4am three times a week!
And while viewers may see her looking fresh-faced on the sofa beside co-host Andrew Castle, Emma confesses those early starts are beginning to take their toll.
“I was just looking at some recent holiday photos and was shocked to see how wrinkled my face has become. I suddenly thought: ‘Oh no, it’s happening – I’m ageing and getting crow’s feet,’” she laughs.
But the 32 year old admits she would have no qualms going under the needle to smooth away the signs of ageing.
“I would think of having Botox at some point if I’m being honest. I wouldn’t have a problem with it and don’t have an issue with anyone using it,” she says.
"Cindy Crawford still has amazing curves and if I end up with a body like hers I’ll be happy!”
“Working on the show is like having permanent jetlag. I get up when it’s dark and, sometimes, when I can’t switch off I go to work on 1 hours’ sleep. I have to take a lot more care of my skin these days and spend a fortune on good moisturisers and eye cream from M Lab or Sisley, which cost over £100 each.”
While she may be 5ft 9 and a slim 10st, Emma has decided that, now she’s in her 30s, she needs to step up the exercise if she wants to hold back the march of time.
“I’ve definitely aged in the last five years. My size hasn’t altered – I’ve been a size 10 for 10 years, but the onset of bingo wings is happening and I’m very aware I need to tone up and get into an exercise routine.”
But while she enjoys yoga classes and an annual skiing holiday, she admits sport “isn’t really her thing” and her boyfriend of three years, City banker Leo Roubicek, 33, who hits the gym every day, has to nag her to exercise.
“Leo talks about fitness all the time and is always asking me: ‘Have you done any training today?’ We tried to run together once and he left me after five minutes as I go too slowly,” she confesses.
But the tables could be about to turn now that Emma has signed up to take part in the Playtex Moonwalk on 15 May – an overnight 26.2 mile walk around the streets of London, in aid of breast cancer charities.
“I’ve never walked more than six miles before so it’s going to be the biggest challenge I’ve ever done. My mother’s close friend recently died of breast cancer so it will make it all the more poignant to have someone to do it for,” she says.
To get in shape, Emma began by walking the five miles from GMTV’s Central London studios to her south-west London home three times a week – but soon found she was being easily distracted from her mission.
“I walk past Harrods on the way home and a quick shopping spree was a great way to break up the training! I’d find myself going in dressed in my tracksuit and training shoes – not very attractive!” she says.
So Emma enlisted the help of celebrity trainer Nicki Waterman, who’s putting her through her paces with interval training – running mixed with bursts of fast-paced walking – on different terrains to work different muscles. Emma has also upped the cardio with the help of a certain supermodel.
“Every Saturday morning I put on my Cindy Crawford fitness DVD for a good old-fashioned aerobics workout!” she says.
“As a teenager I used to work out to Cindy’s first fitness video. Her latest one exhausts me. She still has amazing curves and if I end up with a body like hers I’ll be happy!”
One month into her Moonwalk training Emma has already noticed the effect it’s having on her body.
“My calves are more toned so hopefully my thighs and bum will follow, but the parts you want to tone up are always the last ones to change, aren’t they?” she laughs.
Emma admits that her height helps her look slender on our screens.
“I’m quite tall, which helps me hide a multitude of sins,” she says. “My waist is small and I show it off with tight-fitting tops and dresses. I think it helps to create the illusion that I’m slimmer than I actually am. But I hide my legs as they’re too short and I could probably do with losing a few pounds on my derriere. When I caught sight of it in a changing room mirror recently, it was such a depressing sight; I had to console myself with a muffin!”
Emma maintains her figure with a healthy balanced diet, allowing herself regular treats too.
She says: “I have a banana or apple in the car to work, then I tuck into the huge tray of pastries. During the show I work through a latte and a piece of toast, which I hide under the coffee table and eat when I can. I have to eat to keep up my energy levels. Once I’m home, I’ll have soup and toast, then in the evening I’ll make tuna steaks with salad, Thai green curry or a fish pie.”
But her new training regime has brought out her sweet tooth and she has found her appetite is already starting to increase.
“I get really hungry and happily tuck into a big bag of Kettle Chips with guacamole and a glass of wine on an evening – I also have to eat chocolate every day now, which I never used to!” she says.
As well as coping with the early starts on GMTV and training for The Moonwalk, Emma has just become an ambassador for children’s charity The Variety Club, which is raising funds for sick, disabled and disadvantaged youngsters in the UK by encouraging people to buy and wear a Gold Heart lapel badge for its Have A Heart, Help A Child campaign.
“The Variety Club do some fantastic work with needy children and I really hope I can help highlight their work on GMTV, as well volunteering at their projects as soon as I can,” says Emma.
In the meantime, she will be busy pounding the streets preparing for the gruelling Moonwalk – and even more sleep deprivation.
She says: “It’ll be tough, but I’m really looking forward to eating lots of Jelly Babies to keep me going. And who knows? Next year I might even run the 26 miles!”