Strictly’s Gemma Atkinson shows off incredible muscles ahead of first live shows as she reveals how she keeps fit
STRICTLY Come Dancing star Gemma Atkinson has revealed the secrets to her new body.
The former Emmerdale star went on a 12 week programme to lose weight and improve her fitness with specialist personal trainers from Ultimate Performance.
Achieving her stunning figure with barely 45 minutes of cardio a week, Gemma weight-trained her way to her Strictly shape.
"It was never about weight loss for me," she said.
"I just wanted to get as fit and as strong as possible and mentally get to a place of feeling strong too. Shaping my body has been the icing on thew cake though. I feel fantastic."
The training has put Gemma in good stead as one week in and she was already battered and bruised.
The 32-year-old revealed her sore looking toes as she made an appearance on Key 103 radio station alongside her dance partner Aljaž Škorjanec.
The breakfast star, who hosts a breakfast show for the station, admitted she already had ‘bruises and cuts’ following gruelling eight hour training sessions.
Gemma’s co-hosts Matt and Mike couldn’t resist cracking a gag about her feet – which they think look like Frodo Baggins from Lord Of The Rings.
Gemma explained to Aljaž: "They give me grief because my big toe is one of my smallest toes on my feet and the rest are long.”
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Amused the professional dancer responded: "I didn't notice that so I'm going to definitely have a look.”
But it’s not just Gemma’s feet that are suffering – her shoes have also been left battered by rehearsals.
The actress shared a video of Aljaž having to superglue the sole of her shoe back on after some serious wear and tear.
It seems training is going well though as she later shared a shot of them doing an impressive looking lift.
However Gemma recently admitted that she's struggling to find her inner sexiness and finds it cringe-worthy when she has to get up close and personal with Aljaž.
She said recently: "Being forced to be face-to-face with someone you've just met is mortifying. It sounds all lovely.
“But it's like doing a scene with one of your mates at Emmerdale. On camera it looks good, but when you're in it and doing it, it's awkward."”
Gemma also revealed she went on an intense training course to prepare her body for the skimpy dance outfits, which she says are heavier than they look.
She told us: “They don’t look it, but when you put them on they are surprisingly heavy with the sequins.
“It’s extra weight to carry around but it’s fine. And yeah, I’ll be self-conscious about showing off my body.”
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