Exclusive: 'Food became a best friend' - Ranvir Singh on dealing with emotional eating and losing the 'fear'

In our exclusive interview, Good Morning Britain’s Ranvir Singh tells us how she revitalised her mind and body, and is edging towards 50, finally feeling at peace within.

Opening up too about the extremes she once took to be slim, Ranvir also reveals her quiet discomfort with ageing, her ambivalence towards marriage, her love for GMB and feelings for Lorraine as it brings a new half-hour format. After reinvention and radical realignment, Ranvir is right on track.

Eating habits

'Food is my nemesis. Like many people, I’ve overeaten because I’ve used food as a primary emotional support, constantly in a loop of overeating and under-eating.

'Food became an incredibly kind, important, consistent best friend that I could always trust to make me feel better at night, in the morning, when no one’s looking, when everyone’s looking. Food has wallpapered every aspect of my life in every circumstance. Now I feel liberated by not having fear.'

Enjoying exercise

'I’ve never enjoyed exercise. Previously I felt intimidated by gyms. I’d think, ‘I look rubbish because I can’t run fast enough.’ Exercise has always been a chore.

On Lorraine, I interviewed Dr Rangan Chatterjee, who spoke about the importance of seeking out discomfort every day. He said the only time you’re improving is if things feel a little bit tricky. I thought, ‘Maybe that’s where I’ve been going wrong all these years. I’ve been waiting to enjoy exercise.’

Now, exercise is like putting out the bins. I don’t have to enjoy it, I have to do it. Earlier this year, I joined a women’s-only gym and started weight training. I couldn’t believe that after three or four months, when work got in the way, I actually missed going! It was a mental transition. I feel a bit evangelical about it.'

'Weight doesn't matter'

'It annoys me that for so long, we’ve been told [fitness is] about being thin. That’s so detrimental. I’ve been thinner than I am now, but by doing an aloe vera diet for 21 days. Another time, I bought diet pills over the counter of a beauty salon. I was really dehydrated and my skin was really bad, but I was thin. It was stupid.

'I’ve always fluctuated between a size 8 and 12, but recently I’m more regularly a 10. What’s happened to my body over the past year is a by-product of plodding on with the gym and eating more mindfully. My weight doesn’t matter. Being strong does.

'Earlier this year, we moved house. I was up early and didn’t stop until 10.30pm, carrying big boxes to the car. During the move, I thought, B****y hell, I can do everything.’ Then I thought, ‘This is what it’s all for. So when I’m 70, I can open a jar, get my shopping out of my car and not be out of breath.'

Feeling content

'At 48, I feel the most sure of myself. I feel more grounded. Before, I catastrophised a lot, so it’s taking conscious effort to remind myself that things are OK. I feel more content in my own skin, and that isn’t to say I feel, look or think I’m better than I ever have been. I’m just no longer being complete b******t to myself. I am definitely now a better friend to myself.

'I’ve also re-evaluated what success looks like. In the past, I’ve never felt successful. People might say, ‘You’ve got a successful career,’ and I’d think, ‘No way. I’m nowhere near.’ I could never accept the things I’d achieved or done in my career. I can now look back and feel a sense of accomplishment that I reached my goals. I can high-five myself for letting go of comparisons and embracing my own achievements on my own terms.'

Future plans

'I don’t spend any time daydreaming about marriage. I wouldn’t rule it out, but it’s certainly not a primary concern. I don’t know what marrying would add to my life at this point, when I have a house and a child, and I’m not planning on having any more.

Now we’ve got more of a traditional family dynamic in the Western sense, [Louis and my] understanding of one another has definitely deepened, and that breeds more love and more care.'

Read Ranvir's full interview in the February issue of woman&home - subscribe today.