Kate Ferdinand had a "love-hate relationship" with her body at a young age.
Kate Ferdinand
The 29-year-old reality star struggled with her weight after developing anxiety when she developed curves at a young age.
She would often wonder what other girls thought about her body, and let her low self-esteem take over her.
Speaking on 'This Morning' on Tuesday (14.01.20), Kate explained: "I feel like I had a love-hate relationship with my body and how others thought about me...
"I think it controlled me, I got really anxious, I felt overwhelmed and it took over my life. Now I realise my body doesn't define me."
To help battle her anxiety, Kate's mum would encourage the star to exercise by going to the pool together.
She recalled: "My mum took me to the gym, my school was quite far away. We started swimming together and that's how I got into the gym.
"It's an hour of the day where I don't think about anything and just gets me started for the day."
Now, the former 'The Only Way Is Essex' star - who wed Rio Ferdinand in September - has grown body confident and admits she is proud of her appearance, though she has taken to extreme measures to avoid giving into her cravings.
She added: "'I do work hard, I'm proud of my body. We have a lock on the treat cupboard. Rio has the key at the moment. It means more when we have a treat now."
Meanwhile, Kate's new book 'Fitter, Happier, Healthier: The Ultimate Body Plan' also features how she overcomes her mental health struggles.
When asked if the book is "full of workouts", she said: "It's not just fitness & food, it has sections about me and my life, growing up and now. How I deal with anxiety etc. My skincare and Beauty regimes and how I look after myself."
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