Dawn French Quotes

I wasn't always 6' 4'' and 400 pounds.

On a scale of one to 10, I'd rate my body confidence as a good seven. Everyone has their hang-ups, but I see my body as a training tool and I feel good about it.

I'm no stranger to weight issues. I've had cellulite since I was about nine years old. I have enjoyed the uber support of Spanx many times.

I've never had body issues, I've never had an eating disorder. I've never had to go on a diet and that's because of Weight Watchers.

I definitely went through a period where I don't want to say I hated myself, but I hated what I saw in the mirror. I would try to cover it up, and it wasn't until I started doing sports - until after London 2012 - that I kind of started getting more of that confidence in my body and appreciating my body.

Do I sometimes wish I were thinner? God, in the old days, absolutely I did, but now I feel that to lose weight would be disloyal to myself.

The truth is, I like my body more when it's thinner. I have a range of jeans, and I'm happier in the smaller ones. But I don't have the same drive to get into those jeans. I'm not going to change my day to get there, whereas I used to.

If I like myself at this weight, then this is what I'm going to be. I don't have an eating disorder.

Some people would like me to be round again.

As a gymnast, you always wear spandex. Being a teenager wearing spandex? It was tough accepting how my body looked, especially if there was any weight gain.

I do not think about being beautiful. What I devote most of my time to is being healthy.

I unwittingly became sort of this anorexia spokeswoman.

When I started working out, it wasn't about weight loss; I was going through a really hard time and needed an emotional release. Once you start getting in the tabloids claiming you have fake body parts, then it's like, 'Okay, I made it. Now I'm really working out.'

Women are wonderful, but they get so caught up about their body. We need to unhook from worrying so much. When I don't feel good, I look in the mirror and think I look fat and miserable. But when I feel good and whole, I'm not worried about my body because I'm living in it. It doesn't become an object.

If I can get my dress on, my weight is under control.

I'm very physical. It's an important part of being a woman - feeling good about yourself and really being in tune with your personality.

When I wrote 'The Good Body,' I turned 40 and suddenly had this stomach. It seemed like the end of the world. Because I didn't value my body. I was constantly judging it, but I also didn't live in it.

I've never been supercritical about my body.

I've long struggled with my body image and have worked hard to achieve a healthy weight.

I've always been a thin girl. I'm not going to be fat, ever. Let's get that straight. Whitney is not going to be fat, ever. Okay?

This little kid pointed at me and said, 'You look disgusting!' That was the first time I thought maybe I did. I decided I'd better start eating. I'm just thankful that I made it through with relatively few scars.

If you've stacked on the weight over time, and if you don't have any health issues, you don't realise. So you'll see yourself in the mirror and, yes, you know what the scales say, but you don't actually see what other people see.

As I've got older, I feel more confident in my body, so wouldn't want to tamper with it.

I have a harder time eating properly than I do exercising. It's easier for me to add an activity than to deny myself something. And when I do lose the weight, I don't like that it makes me feel good about myself. It's not who I am.

If I go on a diet and work out, I'm always in a bad mood. I'd rather be a little heavier but nice.