Vogue Williams has said she was called a “disgrace” by critics for exercising during and soon after her pregnancy.
The model and reality TV star welcomed her first child with husband Spencer Matthews last September and, while she was expecting, she often posted and pictures of herself working out on social media.
She said she kept training to help her anxiety, despite being shamed for doing it.
Williams, 33, told Women’s Health magazine: “I used to get comments off people saying, ‘I think it’s a disgrace, you need to be relaxing, you’re pregnant, you need to take the next 10 months off!’
“But that doesn’t suit me or my lifestyle or the way I feel about myself. I train a lot for anxiety, it makes me feel good and I like it.”
The Irish star added: “There was one (article) like, ‘I pity her for having to get back into shape so quickly after a baby’, and it’s like, I didn’t have to get back into shape.
“Who am I getting back into shape for? Don’t waste your pity.”
Williams, who married former Made In Chelsea star Matthews in June last year while she was expecting their son Theodore, said she has been impacted by her husband’s sobriety, and it helps curb her bouts of anxiety.
She said: “It’s kind of nice that he doesn’t drink because I prefer to spend my money on tennis lessons. That’s so sad! I’m a loser!”
Matthews, 30, stopped drinking last year in a bid to focus on his new life as a father.
However, Williams said she still suffers from anxiety, and that sometimes even exercising does not help.
“Sometimes you just have to write some days off, and I know that’s a terrible thing to say, but it’s the truth,” she told the magazine.
“I had days where I was at work and was like, ‘I’ll go for a walk, I’ll do my training and then I’m going to feel much better afterwards’. And I didn’t.
“(Those feelings) just followed me through the whole day.”
The July issue of Women’s Health is on sale on Tuesday June 4.
