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Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Eve Rowlands

Strictly's Tess Daly shares her diet plan including the breakfast 'pudding' that sets her up for the day

Autumn is here, which means Strictly Come Dancing is well and truly back. And it's not just the contestants who wow the nation each and every Saturday night with their routines and incredible costume transformation - read more Strictly news here - but the hosts too.

Tess Daly, who co-hosts the much-loved dancing show with Claudia Winkleman and has been part of the show since its inception almost 20 years ago, always comes out onto the dancefloor ready to introduce each and every couple looking fresh and fabulous.

But how does she do it? Here we take a look at the model and presenter's daily morning routine and what she does to stay looking fit and healthy throughout the year - including her exercise regime and favourite things to eat.

Read more: Strictly Come Dancing's Matt Goss' Las Vegas career, Bros break-up and rift with brother Luke

Tess, Claudia and the Strictly Come Dancing class of '22 (PA)

Tess is "definitely" a morning person and loves "getting out of bed and seizing the day ahead". According to an interview with Women's Health last year, she rises early to set herself up before her two girls, Phoebe and Amber, have woken up - she's up at 6.30am if they have school and on weekends she tends to wake up at 7.30am.

Before her kids are awake, the co-founder of Naia Beachwear told the health and fitness magazine that she tries to get a good "20 minutes of yoga, which is more of a stretch at that time, and a cup of tea".

Her go-to, she explained, is YouTube instructor Adriene Mishler who leads yoga classes on her YouTube channel Yoga with Adriene: "It's awesome - and it's free. She's got a class for everything. Stiff back, flexibility, stiff neck – whatever it may be, she's got the solution. 20 minutes later, you feel better. It's great."

After this, she likes to enjoy a healthy breakfast an hour or so after she's woken up. A typical breakfast for the mother-of-two involves yoghurt with blueberries or cherries - but not quite as they come. Tess heats the fruit up in the microwave so it's soft and warm before adding granola and maple syrup or honey to the bowl.

"I like them hot – it's like pudding for breakfast, but a healthy pudding!" the 53-year-old told the health and fitness publication. That and a warm brew to top it all of. "For me, the day does not begin without a very strong cup of builder's tea. I am Northern after all!"

When it comes to her diet plan, Tess has previously explained that the secret to her amazing figure is a combination of healthy habits and everything in moderation rather than a restrictive diet.

In a conversation with fellow model Ruth Crilly on her YouTube channel, Tess spoke about her attitude towards eating after Ruth revealed that, when she first started modeling herself, she was told to be more like Tess Daly who "looks healthy, looks after herself, is fit and looks good."

Reacting to this comment, Tess said: ""Because I refused to diet. I said: 'I can't diet, I enjoy food too much.'" Although there are a few things she's tends to avoid: "I haven't eaten red meat since I was 16 years old. I couldn't bear getting gristle in sausages and fat in meats."

As opposed to red meat - which provides us with nutrients lke iron, zinc and B vitamins - Tess includes chicken, which is a lean source of protein with a lower fat content, and fish, chocca with omega-3 fatty acids, in her diet.

Alongside these meats, Tess, it seems, loves making healthy meals, reports The Express, and revealed: "I get really excited about making beautiful salads and grilling vegetables. Food is a way to nurture yourself internally. It's like medicine."

That being said, she doesn't deny herself a slice of cake now and again. Speaking to Health and Wellbeing Magazine previously she explained: "I’ve got a sweet tooth that must be satisfied! I can’t imagine a life without chocolate and cake.

"I could never deny myself cake because that just makes for an unhappy life. I’m a big believer in moderation. I tend not to deny myself what I fancy, because, like all of us, as soon as we deny ourselves treats, then we fixate upon it and it becomes an unhealthy relationship."

As for exercise, in addition to yoga, Tess sometimes does five minutes of skipping in the morning - a one-minute on, one-minute off system - and has been known to train with a personal trainer, Sam Shaw, who puts her through her paces doing interval training - including body-weight moves like lunges - and weights.

She has also found a way of making time fly whilst tackling a 5k run. "I've got a treadmill, where I've realised I can watch Netflix and run 5k at the same time. I would never sit down and watch TV in the day but, on the treadmill, I can justify it."

And if that wasn't bringing enough fun into her exercise regime, she previously told Women's Health that she has a trampoline at home - which she shares with fellow presenter and husband Vernon Kay. Speaking of the exercise known as 'rebounding', Tess said: "We've got a little trampoline at home outside, and that's great for getting your lymphatic system moving and for your circulation."

Strictly Come Dancing continues next Saturday, October 9 on BBC One.

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