Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas has given fans a glimpse into her festive eating habits, revealing how she enjoys a Christmas splurge before returning to a disciplined health regime.
Festive Feasting and Pub Dinners
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, the 65-year-old dancer explained that while she is known for a strict wellness routine, she fully embraces indulgence over the holidays. Ballas stated she "has a bit of a splurge because we like to try everything" and ensures her fridge is stocked with festive treats.
For Ballas, the perfect Christmas day isn't complete without a selection of cheeses, other festive nibbles, and a glass of brandy mixed with dry ginger. This year, she plans to enjoy a stress-free Christmas dinner at her local pub with family.
"I've ordered the beef wellington with roasties, pigs in blankets, parsnips, red cabbage, Brussel sprouts and Yorkshire pudding," she told Closer magazine. "It's nice not to cook on the day." She added that she will do her Christmas food shop at Marks and Spencer and use leftovers for hearty fry-ups.
A Return to Rigorous Discipline
This seasonal relaxation is a marked contrast to Ballas's typical health-focused lifestyle. Her regular routine involves intense juice diets, the controversial paradox plant diet, and numerous yoga classes.
However, the dancer adopts a much stricter approach for most of the year to maintain her size 10 figure. She revealed a "savage" eating tip she follows, which she admits is not for the faint-hearted. Ballas discovered that eating three meals a day became difficult after she turned sixty.
"The first year on the Strictly Come Dancing tour, I gained ten pounds just in that one month," she explained to The Sun. "Then I realised you cannot eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, Shirley, you are over the age of 60!"
The Intermittent Fasting Method
Determined to change, Ballas now skips breakfast and lunch, opting instead for a single substantial dinner, typically featuring rice with lean beef or chicken. This practice aligns with the popular intermittent fasting method, specifically the 18:6 regimen.
This approach allows for a six-hour eating window each day, followed by an 18-hour fast, which proponents say helps the body burn fat. "I’ve realised the body doesn’t need as much food as I keep stuffing in my face, so I do take care of it," Ballas said.
Her daily pattern now involves having nothing in the morning, a juice around lunchtime, and then a meal prepared by her mother at around 4 or 5 pm. She received a rice cooker as a gift last Christmas, which prompted her to swap salads for meals like sticky rice with beef stroganoff.
Ballas joins a list of other celebrities, including Jennifer Aniston and Hugh Jackman, who reportedly use intermittent fasting for weight management and health maintenance.
