Rosie Huntington-Whiteley "struggled" to lose her baby weight.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley on the cover of Harper's Bazaar - courtesy of Harper's Bazaar UK/Alexi Lubomirski
The 32-year-old model - who has 22-month-old Jack with her long-time partner Jason Statham - has opened up about her strict year of "training and discipline" to shed the pounds after becoming a mother.
Admitting that it took "months" for her to feel good on a shoot again, she told the June issue of Harper's Bazaar magazine: "It was a struggle for me, if I can be really candid. I gained a lot of weight; a lot more than people around me expected. I do not regret it - but I had a long way to go once I was cradling the baby.
"It took a year of training and discipline. I'm not joking. It took a year to the month to lose every single pound. Even after that, it took several more months before I could go on a shoot and feel good. Now my perception of what I thought of as feeling great and looking great has shifted. I'm stronger, both physically and mentally. I feel, probably for the first time, that I'm a woman rather than a girl. It's been a really great shift to see myself in the mirror and to be OK with the imperfections."
And the blonde beauty admitted that becoming a mother has been "life-changing" because it has made her feel more "comfortable" in her own skin.
She added: "Since becoming a mum, I've felt so much more confident within my own skin and much more confident about who I am. It's been life-changing. One of my favourite things about being a mum is how it connects me to other women. I think I would be doing a disservice not only to myself but also to them if I weren't open about my experience."
The June issue of Harper's Bazaar is on sale on Thursday May 2, 2019.
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