Nell McAndrew shares her fitness tips… and reveals why she’s still breast-feeding her three-year-old

NELL McAndrew is talking us through an average week’s fitness schedule, which so far includes a trio of six-mile runs, resistance work, weight lifting with an ex rugby pro, weekend British Military Fitness sessions plus a Saturday morning jog in her local park.

It’s exhausting just listening to her.

“It’s a good addiction and I can definitely recommend it!” says Nell.

“I always try to be on foot, rather than in a car. If I hadn’t brought such a big bag today I’d have loved to have run to the studio and back.”

From her Surrey home to our Fabulous photo shoot and back again totals 15.2 miles – a calf-crushing prospect for most, but no sweat for the 42-year-old former model who, since discovering a deep passion for running in her early 30s, has transformed herself into a top-of-her-game amateur athlete.

“I feel the fittest of my life,” admits Nell, who consistently tests her physical limits.

She ran for the first six and seven months of both her pregnancies, has taken part in four Great North Runs and clocked up six London Marathons, including a personal best time of 2 hours and 54 minutes in 2012.

“That was one of the best days of my life,” she says.

“I want to beat my time before I’m 50. I might not be able to, but it’s good to have goals. I would also love to compete internationally. Maybe when my children are a bit older.”

Day to day, the pressures of being a full-time mum to her son Devon, nine, and three-year-old daughter Anya don’t stand between Nell and exercise.

“I’m a mum and that’s my world, so I fit exercise around it whether that’s using a running buggy when I go to the shops instead of driving or getting somebody in to help for an hour.

“I use that hour to go out for a run then do all my cleaning at 10pm.”

This all seems a million miles away from Leeds- born Nell’s beginnings.

She landed her first gig as a fashion model at 17, before carving out a lucrative glamour modelling career in the late 1990s.

She posed for Playboy in 1999, presented TV shows such as It’s A Knockout, and competed on reality shows including I’m A Celeb!

YouTube any of it and Nell seems born to be a celeb – bubbly, fun and outgoing.

But there’s an intensely private, self-conscious side to her, too.

She worries today about the implications of discussing her family (she is married to property developer husband Paul Hardcastle, 46) and admits she can’t bear to look at her sexy modelling pictures, which are now boxed up and put away out of sight.

“It didn’t really feel like me,” she explains.

She also says she’d never dare post a Tamara Ecclestone style breastfeeding selfie, known as a brelfie, despite endorsing extended nursing.

She fed Devon until he was three years and one month, and continues to do so with Anya.

“I probably should [do a brelfie], and be like: ‘Look at this.’ But I’m not an overly confident person and I’m breastfeeding for us,” she says.

“It’s not because I’m wanting to show off about it or force my opinion on somebody else.

“But it’s good that people are normalising breastfeeding, because why shouldn’t it be normal?

“I was on a plane recently with Anya and it made my flight so much easier and she was more comfortable, too, because she was relaxed.”

However, Nell admits that her daughter is proving more tricky to wean off the boob than her son.

“I had to have a conversation with Devon and say: ‘You’ve drunk all the milk.’ Only this time around, Anya is clever.

“I’ve tried telling her that the boob has dried up, but she just goes to the other side!” she says.

“But I wouldn’t knock somebody for it or say they’re wrong [for feeding into childhood]. It’s about choice. We live in a world where we can choose what we want to do.”

One thing Nell will never choose is any kind of faddy, short-term diet.

Virtually teetotal and a pescatarian, she replaces meat with protein-heavy foods such as nuts and eggs, and enjoys a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and dairy.

“Today I had Greek yoghurt with strawberries, oat bran and ground almonds for breakfast,” she says, rummaging through her gym bag and pulling out various “clean” snacks that she carts everywhere.

“I’ve got an avocado in here, peanuts, dark chocolate, some carrot and celery.

“I’m eating all day. I’m not a meal person.

“To me, it’s never a case of breakfast, lunch and tea – it’s about eating when you’re hungry and having fuel on-board for whatever exercise you’re doing.”

The reward for Nell’s dedication to being fit and healthy is there for all to see.

On today’s shoot, her body renders the team awestruck – arms toned to perfection, lean and muscular legs and a set of abs that would compete with female athletes at the Rio Olympics.

“My stomach muscles have never really gone back together [after giving birth].

“The first time they did, but the second time…” Nell looks down and prods her tummy before admitting she’s “probably slighter” than she’s ever been.

“I think that’s to do with getting older, because your body shape changes,” she explains.

“I must be a [size] eight, but I don’t look at dress size.

“I live in fitness wear and it’s all Lycra. I never wear normal clothes!”

This is as far as Nell will go towards scrutinising her own figure.

“Dress size, diets, calories, body scoring, six-pack, best part or worst part of my body – that is not what I am about,” she explains.

She shakes her head disapprovingly when asked if any woman can achieve a stomach like hers.

“When you say six-pack, to me that’s about aesthetic image.

“Don’t think: ‘I want to be like that person’, because you’re always [going to be] let down.

“Why are you training to be like somebody else? You want to try and be the best you can be.”

It’s been 14 years since Nell released her debut and best-selling DVD Peak Energy – a further four chart-topping fitness DVDs followed, including Nell McAndrew Peak Energy Recharged! which was filmed before she fell pregnant with Anya.

Surely Nell understands that women bought her DVDs and her running book – she is currently working on a follow-up, food-related read to this – because they felt inspired to look as fabulous as she does?

Not so.

“[They buy it for] motivation, or because they can’t go out and exercise, so they want a guide to follow. That’s how I hope I inspire people,” she says.

On the subject of reality TV stars who lose drastic amounts of weight and then flog the get-it-off-quick shape-up plans that are currently saturating the home fitness market (ahem, Charlotte Crosby and Lauren Goodger), Nell has mixed views.

“It’s great if it encourages people to change their lifestyle, either to eat better or exercise. But if it’s a six-week thing, that I don’t agree with.

“Fitness is a long-term investment. It might be next year that you can run faster or further.

“It’s wrong to say: ‘If you do these exercises three times a week you’ll be fit,’ because you won’t be.”

She might be a critic of society’s obsession with aesthetics and “quick-fix solutions”, but Nell herself had a boob job in her 20s to boost her from a 34B to 34D.

They’re easily the most curvaceous part of her athletic body and, she hints, a regret.

“Would I do it now? No. As you get older you’re more aware of things that can go wrong.

“Everybody seems obsessed with Botox and I feel you don’t need to do that because you’ll probably regret it when you’re older.

“Too many in the younger generation are looking for the quick-fix and it’s the same with exercise. The quick-fix will have a knock-on effect.

“It’s like a spiral. People are left tired, hungry and craving comfort food, and so go spiralling back to their old ways.”

Although she applauds Chloe Madeley for “training really hard”, Nell seems to have little in common with her.

Unlike Chloe and other celebrities who adorn their Instagram accounts with bikini-body snaps, Nell’s motivated by emotional rewards rather than physical results.

“I exercise because of how it makes me feel, to run faster, feel stronger and be happier,” explains Nell, whose Twitter feed is packed with motivating messages to other runners.

“I get great satisfaction from encouraging other people to take up exercise or training alongside them.”

And with that, Nell hauls her gym bag on to her back and says her goodbyes.

As she’s leaving, she reveals her ultimate fit-spirations.

“A lady called Madge takes part in my local Parkrun,” she says.

“We call her Super Madge, she’s 80 years old and runs every Saturday.

“Then at this year’s London Marathon the oldest runner was 88-year-old Iva Barr. She’s my role model.

“One day I want to be the oldest person running the marathon!”

We wouldn’t bet against it.

Save £3 on Nell’s book ‘‘ using code NELL16 at the checkout (RRP: £12.99).

Pictures: Fabulous / Zoe McConnell, Rex Features, Wenn, North News and Pictures, Flynet