The model and TV presenter insists she neither crash dieted nor hit the gym the moment she left the maternity ward last May.

Speaking to this week’s Closer magazine, she said:

“I was so overwhelmed with being a mum I didn’t have time to think about my figure. I certainly didn’t crash diet – it’s so dangerous to starve yourself at a time when you need all your energy and strength to look after your baby, breastfeed and recover from giving birth.”

She adds:

“My friends warned me not to get on the scales after the birth, as you are still filled with fluid for a long time afterwards and it’s not your real weight, so it’s not fair to put yourself through that. Like any woman, I’m self-critical.”

The 26-year-old former Miss Ireland, who has modelled since she was 15, admits there have been times when she’s actually wished she was curvier.

“I am sensitive to the fact some other women struggle more than me to stay slim. When I was a teenager I used to envy my friends who had curvy bodies. I felt embarrassed about my skinny legs and hips.”

Claudine ate healthily and stayed active throughout her pregnancy with her son.

She says:

“My gynaecologist told me I shouldn’t eat for two, but nor did I calorie-count. I ate slightly bigger portions of my usual diet to stop myself being tired, and made lots of fruit smoothies – not for my figure, but to make sure my baby would be healthy.”

She used the products preventing her skin from stretch marks:

“I used a vat of Bio-Oil on my bump, which luckily warded off stretch marks.”

She added:

“When I first met Robbie at 18, I lived on junk food. I was young so I didn’t put on any weight, but being married to an athlete means I’ve learned to cook healthy meals. I stuck to this when I got pregnant. I sometimes have desserts and I have cake or chocolate every day, as life is for living – I just have a small portion.”

After giving birth to her first child in a Dublin hospital in May last year, Claudine waited over six weeks before she started running short distances on the treadmill and doing gentle sit-ups twice a week.

“Robbie advises me, although he never puts pressure on me to work out,” she says.

Although Claudine is back in shape, she says her body isn’t entirely back to normal.

She laughs:

“My hair still feels much flatter. Apparently, it gets thicker during pregnancy and then falls out after to make up for lost time!”

She denies the fact that her husband can cheat on her and she also denies that her slim figure and glamorous looks are a bid to keep hold of her man, saying:

“I make an effort because I like to feel good. It’s not to compete with the other girls. Robbie actually prefers me with no make-up and dressed down in Ugg boots and jeans!”

Coming back to her career, Claudine has put having another baby on hold.

She says:

“Robbie wants a huge family, but while I love being a mum and adore my baby, I’d like to wait and just enjoy being me again for a while.”

That sounds wise!

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