Gemma Atkinson delighted fans on Wednesday evening by sharing her fitness transformation on Instagram. The former Emmerdale actress and 2017 Strictly contestant posted a row of three photos, showing herself at five months pregnant, six weeks postpartum, and then 15 weeks after the birth of her daughter Mia, who was born on 4 July. Together, they demonstrated that she'd worked to lose the weight she'd gained while pregnant, without pushing herself too hard.
Gemma gave birth to baby Mia Louise back in July
The 34-year-old smiled in all three pictures, and in the last one, proudly held a beaming Mia aloft. She captioned the snaps: "Dear body, thank you," going on to write: "All different but all for a purpose. Growing my baby, feeding my baby, becoming strong and healthy again to be there for my baby. My training has even more purpose now I have Mia. I’m her role model! My health & mentally feeling good was always my priority with exercise. It was never to compete on stage or to chase a certain physique. It was just to be the best version of ME!"
READ: Gemma Atkinson reveals baby Mia has reached a 'painful' new milestone
The 34-year-old went on to share how she achieved her impressive transformation, writing: "By making good nutritious choices with my meals without depriving myself (hello once a week cheesecake & pizza) I’m slowly getting back into it. I’m still limited to what I can do exercise-wise after an emergency C section but doing something is better than doing nothing. I started with just cardio around 8wks PP and last week I had my first session back in the gym. It was tough and I had to go back to basics but afterwards I felt amazing!"
Gemma and Gorka met on the set of Strictly two years ago
The star finished her post by sharing what keeps her going: "When things get tough, I remind myself that I’m a Mum. A badass Mum. A privilege sadly denied to many... I’m so lucky, that's what keeps me going." Gemma's partner Gorka is a professional dancer on Strictly, and his colleague Karen Hauer simply commented: "Queen!!"
MORE: Gemma Atkinson shares gorgeous new CLOSE-UP photo of baby Mia
Her other followers were equally appreciative of her hard work, with one posting: "Well said! I had a C-section, at first I never felt like I'd get back up to fitness again, but since my eldest, I managed a sub-20 minute 5K… I feel like pregnancy makes us fitter... you got this!" Another commented: "You look amazing! Well done and loving the once a week cheesecake," while a third wrote: "Wow I pray to look like you as having baba in January, you inspire me, love all your videos."
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