Helen Flanagan is not exactly averse to showing off her enviable curves, but there was once a time when she was not as confident with her body.
The former Coronation Street actress has opened up about when was "borderline anorexic" after becoming obsessed with dieting.
Posing for a glam shoot in Closer magazine, the 21-year-old told of how she tried to copy her mother's diets as a child in order to lose weight.
“When I was younger I was completely obsessed with dieting – this diet, that diet – and now I look back and think I was really stupid,” she admits.
"I lost far too much weight and got really obsessed with it. I’d also make up my own diets, which were pretty bad – I’d do stupid stuff like eat only salad for a day.”
However, after overcoming her obsession, the star is now embracing her curves.
She says: “I think it’s nice to celebrate your body and what’s good about it. I really like my figure – curves are sexier than being stick-thin – and I don’t see why I shouldn’t wear clothes that show it off," she said.
In the interview she also took the opportunity to defend some of her errrm, how can we put this? eyepopping fashion choices.
"I’m just a normal 21 year old and I wear stuff that 21 year olds wear. Sometimes it’s quite ‘out there,’ but I think it’s better to have a go, rather than be boring," she said.
Helen also hit back at the backlash she got after wearing a revealing Jean Paul Gaultier La Perla dress in back in February, saying: “Obviously my boobs do look quite big, but it was a bad picture – I wasn’t really spilling out of it – I do have taste!”
That's told you then.
Read the full interview in this week’s Closer magazine, on sale now.
> IN PICS: CELEB MAKE UP DISASTERS
