She may be seven months pregnant, but Nell McAndrew says she’s never felt hotter. Wearing a figure-hugging blue dress for Closer’s exclusive photo shoot, she laughs: 'I love dressing up in sexy outfits!' The model, who reinvented herself as an exercise guru over a decade ago, explains: 'I usually spend all my time in Lycra, so this is a real treat!'
However, she does add that her stretchy workout gear is the perfect maternity wardrobe, saying: 'Lycra’s the best thing to wear because you don’t have to worry you’ll get too big for it – it just grows with you!'
Although the I’m A Celeb! star – who has six-year-old son Devon with her property developer husband, Paul Hardcastle, 44 – clearly can’t wait to have her second child in March, she’s already preparing to beat her post-natal depression demons.
In 2007, Nell, 39, who tragically had to terminate a pregnancy at three months in 2005 after doctors told her the baby had no chance of survival, admitted she’d suffered crippling depression after Devon’s birth, crying every day for six months after he was born.
The TV presenter said at the time: 'I was snappy and grumpy. It put a strain on my relationship and sex life.' She started running again to ease her condition, revealing: 'I hadn’t had any ‘me’ time since giving birth and it really helped. I soon felt like my old self.'
'I remember being on a shoot and breastfeeding in between shots. I was becoming more and more tired'
Following Devon’s birth, Nell got straight back to work with a string of magazine photo shoots. Now, Nell says she won’t be taking on any extra work commitments while she settles into life with her new baby. She explains: 'This time, I’m being a bit more sensible. I’m not over committing. Doing the school run every day and having a shower will be my mission for the first six weeks. Anything else is a bonus.'
'I was in a right mess the first time round. I think it was mainly because I tried to do too much. I had a baby, then just carried on as normal. I remember being on a shoot and breastfeeding in between shots. I was becoming more and more tired.'
In a frank interview last year, Nell admitted her first baby had pushed her marriage to the brink, revealing: 'It’s been really tough on Paul and I… We talked about splitting up loads of times.'
But Nell hopes her second child will strengthen their bond. She says: 'We can annoy each other quite easily, but I’d like to think the baby will make us stronger as a family. Everybody has their ups and downs.
'The first few weeks of this pregnancy were tough because they were in Devon’s school holidays. Every morning, I’d get up and I’d feel really nauseous. I was never sick, but it’s just the feeling. Now I’m in the good stage and I can’t wait to see our new arrival.'
And after revealing last year that she usually runs 90 miles a week, Nell, who’s completed five marathons, says she’s halved her gruelling daily workouts, but will keep training until her due date in March.
She says: 'I don’t feel as alive and happy if I’m not exercising regularly. It gives me a real buzz. I still run about four or five miles each day and I enjoy doing resistance weights. I’m gradually dropping down to a level I feel comfortable at while pregnant. If it doesn’t feel fine then I’ll change it.'
And Nell says the critics who have accused her of putting her baby at risk through exercise are wrong, adding: 'I feel like keeping fit is preparing me for the labour. It’s good for me and my baby. The people who criticise me really don’t know enough about it. If you exercise regularly, then it’s safe to carry on throughout your pregnancy as long as you take it a bit easier and listen to your body.'
But 5ft 9 Nell, who’s usually a dress size 8-10 and weighs around 9st 6lbs, admits although she loves staying fit, she hasn’t weighed herself during her pregnancy and refuses to obsess about her diet.
She says: 'When you’re pregnant, you’ve got all of the amniotic fluid and the baby, and that’s just normal. I don’t restrict my diet ever. I just want to be healthy, I don’t care what dress size I am. My friends have tried things like the soup diet and they were in a right state on that! It’s all too obsessive.'
Now Nell says she has porridge with some Greek yoghurt and blueberries for breakfast, a jacket potato with baked beans for lunch and spinach and ricotta ravioli with courgettes in the evening.
'I never go hungry because I always carry around a bag of snacks with me'
London-based Nell says: 'I never go hungry because I always carry around a bag of snacks with me, which includes a mix of avocado, celery, tomato, tuna and cucumber with lemon squeezed on top.
'If I’ve had a day where I’ve just pigged out on takeaway food, chocolate and crisps, then I feel rubbish the next day. It’s a negative spiral as you then actually crave more bad food because you feel a bit lethargic.
'The best advice I ever give to anybody who wants to eat better and lose weight is to go to bed earlier. Otherwise, you just want to go to the fridge all the time! It’s all habit.'
Controversially, Nell breastfed Devon for three years and she admits that she won’t be put off doing it again. Nell says: 'He would have carried on if he could. He was happy and content. I’ll do the same with my second child if it all works out. For me, it’s just easier not having to worry about sterilising anything.'
And the model, who started her career as a Marilyn Monroe lookalike, says Devon can’t wait to have a little brother or sister.
She laughs: 'Devon’s so excited, but he won’t be when he realises he has to share everything! He’ll say: ‘Oh, send it back now, Mum!’