Yvonne Connolly: I had 'unhealthy' eating habits back when I was modelling
Yvonne Connolly, the ex-wife of Boyzone frontman Ronan Keating, has opened up about her difficult relationship with food.
The 41-year-old mum began her career modelling for Assets and admits her attitude to diet and food used to be "unhealthy".
"When I was modelling years ago I had no interest in food and had a really bad relationship with food," she explained. "I ate very unhealthily."
Yvonne, who recently reverted to her maiden name following the finalisation of her divorce, is now an enthusiastic cook.
She says her flare for all things culinary was ignited when she started dating her partner John Conroy.
Yvonne Keating and David Gillick on Celebrity Masterchef
"My partner is very big into cooking and then I was gradually getting more into it and with him I started to cook more," she said.
Appearing on Celebrity Masterchef in 2013 also increased Yvonne's confidence in the kitchen.
"Getting to work alongside Dylan McGrath and Nick Munier sparked a massive interest," she said. "After I did that I couldn't learn enough."
Yvonne recently completed a cookery course at Cooks Academy in Dublin and would love to follow in the footsteps of Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver and front her own TV show.
"I have had talks with people so, hopefully, it might come to that. But nothing solid at the moment," she told Women's Way magazine.
"What I love about most of the chefs on TV is that they do have their own identity and put their stamp on it. I absolutely love Neven Maguire. I think our chefs can compete with any around the world."
The mum-of-three recently said that, despite gaining a stone in weight, she now feels much happier in her skin than she did during her modelling days.
"I probably feel more feminine than I've ever felt, and I feel like a woman and more confident overall," she explained.
"If I had a magic wand, of course I'd lose a bit of weight, but I am actually fine with it," she added.
Yvonne admits that chocolate is her weakness.
"I have a sweet tooth ... sometimes a Twix with a cup of tea is all I want."
Yvonne is currently enjoying a holiday with her kids Jack (16), Missy (14) and Ali (9) in the Algarve region of Portugal.