Serena Williams thought it was "cool" that she had a large stomach following the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia.
Serena Williams
The 37-year-old tennis champion is known for her athletic body, but has said she actually enjoyed the feeling of having a stomach when her daughter Olympia - whom she has with husband Alexis Ohanian - was born 16 months ago, because it reminded her where her tot had been growing.
She said: "After I came out [of the hospital], I had a stomach, but I thought, 'This is kind of cool. I have a stomach because the baby was there.'"
But the sporting superstar "worked hard" to lose the weight she had gained during her pregnancy, and admitted it hadn't been "easy" for her to get back to her pre-pregnancy body.
She added: "I worked hard at it in the past eight months to get back from the baby. It hasn't been easy. I'm not 21 anymore. But I did it slow and steady."
Serena's acceptance of her body is something she wants to teach her daughter, as she says she wants her tot to realise "being strong is never easy", but that it's important to be "beautiful from the inside".
The 23-time Grand Slam champion told Allure magazine: "I want her to know that being strong is never easy. Not in this world we are living in. ... Standing up for yourself is not going to be easy, but it's always eventually respected. Those are the people who've made a difference in this world, people that stand up for what's right.
"When I tell [Olympia] she's beautiful, I want to teach her that she's beautiful from the inside. Giving is beauty. Being kind and humble is the ultimate beauty.'"
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