'I've always been conscious of my weight... but I finally feel confident,' says Leona Lewis as she bares her toned midriff

By Georgina Littlejohn

Looking lean: Leona Lewis shows off a toned figure in a fashion shoot for Grazia magazine


She has a voluptuous figure that has been the envy of women everywhere since she shot to fame three years ago.

But Leona Lewis said she only now feels confident about her body after admitting that she has always been quite conscious of her weight.

However, as the 24-year-old singer showed off her slimline figure for a photoshoot for Grazia magazine, the shy side to Leona emerged when asked about her weight loss

Last month, the Run singer admitted she had slimmed down from a size 14 to a 10 after going on a major detox after spending months in the studio.


Fuller figure: A curvier Leona snapped at an awards do in February 2009


She said she ate lots of vegetables, avoided all processed food and drank nothing but water for a whole month.

But when a member of her team mentioned to the Grazia journalist that she had lost weight recently, Leona winced at the remark.

She said: 'That's what everyone's been saying but I'm quite an average size. I've always been conscious of my weight.'

She said there is nothing that she would change about herself and added: 'No, I feel pretty confident.'

But Leona also admitted that she is more aware of her appearance since becoming famous.

She said: 'Now I sometimes feel like I can't wear certain things, so I've stopped looking at photos of myself. You become more self-conscious.'

Raised in Hackney, East London, Leona said she has been kept pretty grounded by her parents.

And despite spending most of last year in Los Angeles recording her album, she said she prides herself on being normal and didn't get seduced by the luxurious celebrity lifestyle while in the US.

She said: ' No, I don't wear diamonds or anything like that. I did have a fitness trainer for a week but then I realised I preferred classes.

'Overall, I'm quite good with how I spend my cashola.'

Leona also dismissed rumours that while in Los Angeles, she had a breast enlargement.
She said: 'It's weird that people look at you like that. I wouldn't go up to someone and say, "Oh my God, look at your bust."


The interview appears in this month's Grazia, out today


'That's very strange to me, it's just too personal.'

Leona also spoke about her latest body art - her tattoo that goes halfway down her back and is a poem about horses.

And she admitted that her long-term boyfriend Lou Al-Chamaa, didn't like it to begin with.

She said: 'He was a bit annoyed at first. He was like, "It's permanent!"
And Leona said getting a tattoo, almost seen as rebellious for the clean-cut singer, is not the first step towards a Britney Spears-style breakdown.

She said: 'Britney's got a lot of people around her who are just really bad and out of order.

'I trust every single person around me, and if I feel even a whiff of uncertainty I won't have that person around me.'

The full interview with Leona and more pictures appear in this week's Grazia magazine, on sale today.



source: dailymail