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I was pretty miserable as a teenager because I was so fat.
I was about 4 stone overweight and I had no idea about health and nutrition, so I just used to pig out on all the wrong foods.
When I was about 18, I finally decided I'd had enough...
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the "before" picture....
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I started reading through magazines and books to try to learn more about food and how it worked. This led to me making recipes and experimenting with healthier ways of cooking. As a result, I lost nearly five stone over the next few years and I grew to love cooking with different herbs, spices and flavours.
Gradually I developed my own recipes and I began to be asked to help friends and family and colleagues at work. I really worked at learning all about nutrition because the key to all this was to be healthy. There is no point being thin and unhealthy. Nor is there any need to eat boring foods. Half of the meals I make, you wouldn't even realise they were good for you! They taste just as creamy and delicious as the full fat alternatives.
I've kept the weight loss for 8 years now - and it also had another spin-off. I was lucky enough to be taken on by a top model agency and I modelled for about 4 years, working for companies such as Gucci, Martini, British Airways, Hilton Hotels, Raddison Hotels, Vodaphone , Pizza Hut and Barclaycard. My pictures were used in magazines and newspapers and I even featured in two television commercials - one of them alongside Claudia Schiffer! You can see some of the pictures in the Gallery section of this site.
However, I realised that modelling was not where my heart lay. I really wanted to continue learning about healthy eating and nutrition - and to continue helping others to lose weight. It was always at the back of my mind how miserable I had been when I was fat, and I know that many people feel the same way. I just wanted to help others feel good about themselves and to help them re-educate their whole way of thinking when it came to food. I do not believe in diets but a change of life approach. My focus is also on the maintenance which can be as difficult as losing the weight to start with.
I've adapted my favourite foods to low-fat healthy versions. I particularly enjoy giving people exciting ideas from Thai, Japanese, Indian and Chinese styles - ranging through to British Modern Cookery. I want to create food that people want to eat - that just happens to be healthy and low fat.
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After filming in the UK for BBC, Carlton Food, Channel Five, Discovery Health, Sky and UK Food, I have been living in the USA for the past 5 years with daily shows on ShopNBC as well as my own cooking segment called Kitchen Takeover http://twincitieslive.com/article/11336/
I have still been promoting menus at Hotels across Asia, The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong was my latest in October 2008. I also have a cooking show in Malaysia on NTV7. I have had so much inspiration for food in Asia and get back as often as I can. As of the 1st of December 2008 I have designed the meals on board all KLM flights from the USA.
I now have 3 cook books out, with another 3 to be released in 2009, and plan to spend time in the USA and the UK as I am now joining the QVC team.
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Click HERE to view my C.V. |
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