What’s your daily routine?
“At the moment, my life is dominated by Milo [Vicky’s ninemonth- old rescue from the Dogs Trust], so in between taking him for walks, I’ll train in the morning – whether that’s zero gravity Pilates or a yoga session – get on with some broadcasting work and then I tend to watch a film in the evening to wind down.”
Do you have any fitness goals you’re working towards?
“I’m training quite intermittently right now and just walking Milo every day – I love getting out in nature and having the opportunity to bond with my pet. It’s funny, because I used to train if I had a holiday coming up or wanted to be a certain size, but now I’m older, I work out to keep my mental health in a good place. Plus, if Milo gets any stronger, he’ll be taking me for a walk!”
What would you say ‘healthy’ looks like to you?
“When I’m not getting good quality sleep or eating well, I tend to put my worst foot forward in the morning, so waking up a few minutes before my alarm makes me feel like I’m capable of dealing with anything that life throws at me, whether it’s a bad press story, a traffic jam or a nasty Instagram comment. That’s why I’m training at the moment, to be strong physically and mentally.”
Is it that your followers get to see the ‘Insta vs reality’ posts on your social media?
“I got really fed-up of logging into Instagram and being bombarded with these unrealistic images of perfection and I thought, if I’m in my 30s and feeling inadequate, how is an 18-year-old girl who’s riddled with insecurities and self- doubt supposed to handle this? So, I started posting pictures of me when I had a bad skin day or I was on my period to try and take that pressure off and it just snowballed; now I love doing them! I thrive on taking control of my own narrative and want to show other women that they don’t have to have it all figured out.”
Are you good at setting time aside for yourself?
“To be honest, I’m a bit of a workaholic, so I find it really hard. When I came out of the jungle [Vicky was crowned Queen of the jungle in 2015’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!], Rylan gave me a really great piece of advice, which was to be careful what you say yes to, because it means saying no to something else. At the time, I was probably too young to understand it fully, but he’s right – I love my evenings on the sofa and a bubble bath. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to be successful and ambitious and have an active social life, but always remember that you can’t pour from an empty cup.”
Is there something you would like to do more of?
“Read. I keep telling myself it’s because my house hasn’t been finished yet and I don’t have bedside lamps, but I know it’s because I’m scrolling too much on my phone! So, another resolution for 2022 is to read more and scroll less.”
The Secret to Happy by Vicky Pattison is available from 6th January, published in hardback by Sphere, £16.99. eBook and audio also available.
