Tess Daly, 56, shares the secret to what makes her feel like a 20-year-old

Tess Daly says she has the energy of a 20-year-old... and it's partly thanks to planks. The Strictly Come Dancing host says she does the exercise every day to boost her core strength.

She also described her healthy eating regime, but insists she has never dieted. Tess, 56, said: "I'm wearing the same size jeans I was wearing in my 20s, but that's not from dieting, it's from maintaining. I've never dieted, and as a mother of daughters, I've always been very careful not to demonise sugar and not count calories, I refuse to embrace any negative connotation around food because I think moderation is key." Tess is mum to Phoebe, 20, and Amber, 16, with Radio 2 DJ husband Vernon Kay, 51.

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Posing in her own NAIA Beach swimwear range, she says she cracked the formula to feeling and looking great. She said: "I will do planks in my living room every day because core strength is really important to me at my age now, plus I'm also very tall and do a lot of running around in heels, so I need to support my back. I'm in my 50s, and I genuinely feel I have the same energy as I did in my 20s."

Finding joy in singing too, Tess said she has been doing karaoke for its health benefits - but almost suffered an embarrassing slip-up. She explained: "I just get Rihanna on, and sing and dance around the kitchen like a complete fool - it lifts the spirit like nobody's business!

"The other day, my teenage daughter, Amber, said to me, 'Mum, you've not gone public with that, have you?', and I hadn't even realised you could join other people on the app to sing and you can also make it public. That would've been a nightmare because trust me, I want to be Aretha Franklin in my dreams, but I'm a very long way from that!"

Tess was recently made an MBE for services to broadcasting. She said she's still "pinching herself" about the honour. She told Top Sante magazine: "Being a part of people's Saturday nights on Strictly for the past 20 years is something you never take for granted."

Tess previously told how it almost went horribly wrong when she came close to missing the huge news.

The presenter has been dedicating much of her time to her swimwear brand, as she adds entrepreneur to her lengthy list of credentials.

"I’m working until 11pm every night on my swimwear brand NAIA Beach," she said. "I absolutely love being the co-founder – along with my best friend Gayle who has 20 years’ experience in swimwear and the fashion retail industry – because I’ve always had an entrepreneurial streak and a constant interest in fashion throughout my television career.

"We started building our brand four years ago when I couldn’t find swimwear that made me feel confident and ticked all the boxes of being flattering and glamorous but also durable and practical. We started small, but it’s taken on a life of its own and I really enjoy the creativity of designing for a brand that I’m passionate about."

Read the full interview in the Summer issue of Top Sante magazine and online here

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