From MIC castmember to fitness princess, we speak to Millie Mackintosh about her new book.
It is rare – if ever – that a reality TV star manages to make the leap into household name without becoming notorious for one reason or another, but Millie has managed to buck the trend.
On Made in Chelsea we saw her go through heartbreak, catfights and deal out one hell of a slap to Spencer Matthews but she left the show after falling in love with her now-husband Stephen Manderson, aka Professor Green. Since leaving the show she’s become known as a foodie, Instagram-star, advocate of the strong-not-skinny lifestyle and now can add author to her bow.
We spoke to Millie about her upcoming book, her makeup routine and how to motivate yourself to go to the gym when you may have over-indulged the night before…
We love the book, Millie! Is this something that you’ve always wanted to do?
It’s been in the making for about a year and a half. It’s definitely something that I’ve wanted to do for a while because I’ve always had comments since Made in Chelsea from people who were wanting me to share my beauty and fitness tips. I had had meetings before about doing a biography with a different publisher but I didn’t feel like it was the right time. In the book I share my advice, but it’s not preachy, it’s just the kind of advice that you’d give to your sister or your best friend.
You came to the public eye through Made in Chelsea, do you have a favourite moment that you like to look back on?
Going to the BAFTAs! When we won a BAFTA that was a pretty amazing moment for me. I’m so grateful to the show.
What do you have in your makeup bag at the moment?
One of my absolute favourites is the Eyeko Brow Magic Brow Boost. It’s basically little fibres which make your brows look thicker, so it can give you that Cara Delevingne look. It’s so clever. I use YSL mascara; it’s a little bit expensive but definitely worth it. I don’t usually wear any foundation in the morning because I go to the gym so unless I’ve got a real shocker of a spot then I wear YSL double wear concealer because it stays on and covers really well. I love Nars orgasm blusher and then Charlotte Tilbury brushes.
On your wedding day you looked quite natural, was that always the plan?
Everyday I like to look like me but just enhance what I already have. I’m all about encouraging women to love themselves, so on my wedding day I just wanted to look like myself because I knew Stephen would want that. I’m not into a heavy smokey eye for a wedding day, maybe for the evening but I think you want to look really fresh, virginal and young…I wanted to look about 16!
You’re a big fitness fanatic but also a foodie, how do you prevent yourself from overindulging at restaurants?
I tend not to have three courses; I’m more of a savoury than sweet person so I’d rather have a starter and a main but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthier. I love cheese, it’s my downfall! Sometimes I ask them to not bring the bread basket to the table just because I know it’s hard to resist freshly baked bread. Restaurants are usually quite flexible so you can always ask to substitute fried chips for sweet potato but I’m just not about depriving yourself though, if you go all out then you just have to gym extra hard the next day.
What are your favourite workout brands?
I love Lululemon for their leggings. They have different leggings for different workouts and I do find they are more compatible. I also love Lorna Jane for their padded sports bras – they also do a lot of stuff which isn’t too sporty looking but they also hold you in in the right places.
Do you have a workout mantra that keeps you going for when you feel a bit crap?
I just tend to think that I’ll feel much better afterwards and I keep in mind that I’m actually really lucky to make that class or train with that trainer. I think there’s no point in showing up if you’re not going to give it 100%. In my book there are some workouts that you can do at home and they work for any fitness level, so you can start with these and then feel more confident to go in and use some of the equipment at the gym.
How do you cope with a hangover?
After my night out I try to drink a lot of water or a green juice before I go to bed so then you don’t wake up with that kind of acidic burning sensation. I’ve also found that watermelon is amazing to eat! There are definitely two ways to treat a hangover; you can either feed it with healthy food or indulge it with unhealthy food. It just depends on what you have to do that day, so if it’s a Sunday you can just be unhealthy. But even then, I find that if you want pizza you should make it rather than having a takeaway. If I go to the gym on a hangover I tend to just do some light exercise…or have a spa day…
You and your husband love to take the mick out of each other on Instagram, has there ever been a time where it’s gone a little too far?
All the time! He took a photo of me in the bath recently which was too far and then I hate the sleeping ones. It’s the lolling of my head which I don’t like! We have rules so like you can’t do it when you’re asleep in bed as that’s too far and there’s definitely no full frontal nudity allowed. I don’t know when it will stop but it won’t be stopping anytime soon.
MADE: A book of style, food and fitness by Millie Mackintosh is published by Ebury Press, £16.99. Photography by Dan Kennedy.