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Donna Air has revealed her diet and fitness secrets after she wowed fans with a cheeky nude photograph to mark her 47th birthday last week.

The actress and former model posed naked on a sunlounger in California, preserving her modesty with a strategically placed newspaper.

Now, speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Donna has revealed exactly how she maintains her figure - from what she eats to her favourite workouts and the wellness treatment she swears by.

And despite her enviable shape, the former Byker Grove star insists there is no punishing diet behind it.

'I've always eaten whatever I want. Food is one of my biggest joys,' Donna said. 'I get genuinely excited about food - where it's from, how it's prepared and how it's cooked.

'I eat very little processed food and I'm much more about quality than quantity. I like hearty, tasty food that's packed with flavour. I stay very hydrated, with lots of water and electrolytes, and I love coconut water.'

Donna Air has revealed her diet and fitness secrets after she wowed fans with a cheeky nude photograph to mark her 47th birthday last week

Her approach to her body has changed dramatically as she has grown older - particularly following the death of her father Trevor from cancer earlier this year.

'One of the privileges of getting older is that you stop caring quite so much about what people think, and you stop being so hard on yourself,' she said.

'I feel much more grateful for my body now. Losing my father this year, and seeing him go through palliative care, gave me a completely different appreciation for what it means to have a body that works and can do things.

'You realise how quickly physical and mental health can be lost. It's made me much more determined to enjoy my body and everything it can do while it can still do it.

'I'm much more focused now on feeling strong, healthy and capable than on how I look. I want to have the stamina and endurance to enjoy my life for as long as possible.'

The Newcastle-born star acknowledges that genetics have helped her maintain her svelte 5'8 frame.

'I appreciate that I've been lucky to have had a high metabolism most of my life and I've never really had to restrict what I eat, which I know isn't the case for everyone,' she said.

'But I am quite in tune with my body and I listen to it. I try to balance things rather than follow a rigid diet. If I've had carbohydrates for lunch, I might have more protein for dinner.

'I don’t tend to eat the same things every day. Some days I’m hungrier, particularly if I’m tired, and I need more fuel. Other days I naturally want less.'

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Donna revealed exactly how she maintains her figure - from what she eats to her favourite workouts and the wellness treatment she swears by

Donna is also happy to skip her morning meal.

'I've never been a big breakfast person - pardon the pun!' she joked. 'Unless I've had a very early dinner the night before, I'm perfectly happy not eating until lunchtime.

'I tend to eat quite late in the evening, so I like giving my body a little rest in the morning. I'll hydrate with lots of liquids - usually green tea, water and coffee.'

Her routine changes while she is acting. Donna, who found fame as a child on Byker Grove before becoming an MTV presenter and later hosting The Big Breakfast, returned to the West End in 2024 to star in 2:22 A Ghost Story at London's Gielgud Theatre.

'If I'm working on set in a cold climate, particularly with very early starts or late finishes, I naturally want warmer, more substantial food,' she explained.

'Being on stage is different because you're often performing around dinner time, so you don't want to eat anything too heavy beforehand. When I was doing a run in the West End, I practically lived on pizza!

'I would also take my own lunches in - usually fish, brown rice and vegetables - and smoothies, and I definitely tried to eat much healthier when I was on stage.'

But deprivation is firmly off the menu. 'I love food. I love a Sunday roast. I love puddings. I've never believed in depriving myself of things I enjoy,' she said.

'I think if you start constantly fighting your body and restricting everything you love, it can become quite unhealthy mentally.

'I exercise a lot, so if I had to choose between restricting food and doing more exercise, I'd much rather move my body more and enjoy my food.'

Despite her enviable shape, the former Byker Grove star insists there is no punishing diet behind it, saying: 'I've always eaten whatever I want'

Her workouts are predominantly cardio-based and she does them to improve how she feels, rather than how she looks.

'I'm very physically active, but I don't exercise out of vanity,' Donna said. 'I do it because I love the feeling of being strong and healthy.

'I don't really like anything static. I like exercise that takes me somewhere. Running, cycling and swimming are probably my favourites.'

She added: 'I also love hot yoga and spin classes. I've never been particularly good at weights, although I know I need to do more strength work as I get older. I'd much rather do it in a class, though. I find gyms a bit soulless.'

But there is one wellness ritual Donna loves above all others.

'My absolute favourite thing, which I swear by, is the sauna,' she said. 'I love a really hot Russian sauna or banya - the hotter the better.

'I also love cold plunging, and I've probably been doing sauna and cold-water therapy for about 20 years. It's such an efficient way to feel good. I come out feeling like I've had a facial, a workout and a massage all at once.

'If I can't be bothered to do a proper workout, I'll happily go and sweat in a sauna! I love to sweat.'

Her workouts are predominantly cardio-based and she does them to improve how she feels, rather than how she looks

Donna says her weight has remained relatively stable throughout adulthood, but turning 47 has shifted her priorities towards preserving muscle and bone health.

'I've always been petite and my weight hasn't really fluctuated much,' she said. 'I'm very conscious that I have quite a small frame, particularly as I get older, so I'm increasingly interested in looking after my bones, muscles and overall strength.

'I take vitamin D, essential fatty acids, collagen and my usual supplements, and I'm also making sure I get enough protein.'

She also enjoys massage and reflexology - a specialised technique that applies pressure to specific spots on your feet, hands, or ears - but believes staying youthful is about far more than food and exercise.

'It's about living as fully as we can, doing something we love with people we love every day,' she said. 'I love movies, I love trying new things, I love having fun.'

Donna has 22-year-old daughter Freya with her former partner, conservationist Damian Aspinall, and previously dated James Middleton, the Princess of Wales's younger brother.

She added: 'I'm lucky to have an incredible friendship group, and I genuinely think who you surround yourself with is one of the biggest contributors to staying happy and healthy.'

The star takes an equally level-headed approach to cosmetic treatments. She said she has not undergone cosmetic surgery, but has no objection to others - or potentially herself in future - choosing to do so.

'I've always had a very positive outlook, and I'm not judgmental about what anybody chooses to do with their body,' she said.

'If someone wants fillers, Botox or cosmetic surgery, then absolutely go for it. I would never dream of telling another person what they should or shouldn't do with their own body.

'I've always loved facials - I've tried most of them! I haven't had cosmetic surgery myself, but if I decide I want to, then I will. It just hasn't been for me yet.'

Her approach to her body has changed dramatically as she has grown older - particularly following the death of her father Trevor from cancer earlier this year

She added: 'I like keeping an open mind about everything. I don't believe in holding on to anything too tightly, and I'd much rather look forward.

'If we spend too much time holding on to what we were, we miss the opportunity to enjoy new chapters.'

Indeed, Donna says the past year has marked a period of profound change. 'I've had some pretty big life changes over the past twelve months, and a lot of goodbyes - some welcome, some unwelcome,' she said.

'But I've embraced them all, and it feels like starting again, building a new life, but with so much more knowledge and experience. I certainly don't have it all figured out, but I get up every day and do my best.'

And having grown up before the arrival of Instagram and TikTok, Donna says she is horrified by the scrutiny younger women now face over their appearance.

'I think it must be incredibly difficult being a young woman today, with so much noise, commentary, trolling and social media,' she said.

'Luckily, I never really had to deal with that growing up. But I'm honestly shocked when I see the way people speak about other people, particularly about their bodies and their appearance.

'I think it's our duty, as we get older, to call that behaviour out and to protect the younger generation. We have to be kinder.'