AtHomeWithLorraineKelly2016 - 128

Living life

TO THE MAX
ZUMBA INSTRUCTOR MAXINE JONES HAS HELPED LORRAINE
DROP THREE DRESS SIZES, SO WHAT'S HER STORY?

W

hen Lorraine Kelly
turned 50, six years ago,
she'd lost a bit of weight.
'I needed to tone up and
maintain it,' she says.
And after discovering zumba on
holiday, she decided she would try a
class when she got back. Around three
years ago, she met Maxine - the full-of
-life teacher at her local zumba class.
'Maxine changed my life,' says Lorraine.
They are now firm friends and she is
the fitness adviser for Lorraine's Bikini
Promise + One - the getting in shape
with a friend, partner or family member
campaign, which launched in June.
You were originally a banker
- how long were you in this
career before you switched?

'I was in investment banking for 23
years, and I embraced it, but felt like
a square peg in a round hole.
'I always loved my dancing, though.
I was a teenager when house raves
hit the UK. The unity of people, and
what the DJs did with their music was
a wonderful thing to be part of.
'The year I got married, 2010,
was the same year I left banking.
A friend invited me to come to a
zumba class and I absolutely loved it;
I couldn't Google it quickly enough.
'I watched DVDs, and at the end of
one there was advice on becoming an
instructor. It was a real lightbulb
moment. I was in a massive rut and
work was uncomfortable, shall we say.
I'd come to the end of that journey
and was ready to move on.'
Do you remember doing
your first class?

'I did all the necessary training and
then held my first class in May 2011.
128 | AUGUST 2016

THE FIRST TIME
LORRAINE
ATTENDED ONE
OF MAXINE'S
ZUMBA
CLASSES,
SHE DIDN'T
RECOGNISE
THE TV STAR

I was terrified - me up on stage in
front of everybody, and I had to
remember the choreography to 16
songs. It was instant love, though. I
had door-dropped garish, neon-bright
leaflets, and there were 18 people in
that initial lesson. Now they are
consistently around 30 people - at
one recently there were 100, which
was interesting! I have loads of
regulars. I know the names of the
husbands and children of many of my
women, who are from 18 up to 70.
'I've injected a club feel into my
classes. Most of the women are mums
and zumba is their equivalent of
clubbing, with no high heels, sore feet,
bouncer on the door and, best of all,
no hangover. Everyone works to their
own limits. In our minds we are
Beyonce or J-Lo for that hour - and I
fully encourage that, because no one is
there to tell us we're not!'
When Lorraine walked into your
class, what did you think?

'I always make a point of talking to
new people, so I went up to Lorraine
to welcome her and thought, "That
Scottish bird doesn't half sound like
Lorraine Kelly."
'I'm a bit daft, but in my defence,
she didn't have make-up on and her
hair was in a ponytail. I found out it
actually was Lorraine when Joanne,
the girl who signs everyone in, told
me. She suggested putting it on
Facebook but I said, "No, we should
treat her like everyone else."
'What sealed our friendship was
when Lorraine asked me to do a
24-hour zumbathon with her in
Scotland about a year after we first
met. We went around the clock and,
I was doing anything I could,

including Cockney rhyming slang
and my best Micky Flanagan
impression, to keep us awake.
We were cracking up laughing.
'We bonded then and she asked me
to do the Vow To Wow fitness campaign
on her show in Christmas 2014
and then last year's Bikini Promise.
We've also done a DVD together
- Lorraine: Living to the Max.
'The first time I was on television
I was shaking like a leaf and the
nutritionist, Sally Bee, had to hold my
hand. She said, "Think it's just me
and Lorraine on the sofa and forget
about the cameras." I said, "I can't,
my mum's watching!"
'I was nervous then, but now it
is like we are just chatting. I'm fine
with it. I've been into hair and
make-up, I'm in my gym kit talking
about something I love doing and
I'm inspiring people - which is my
main aim in life.'
It must be amazing getting these
wonderful opportunities?

'I'm eternally grateful to Lorraine.
I think I stopped saying thank
you after two years, and she told
me she's indebted to me, so we're
mutually grateful. She has body
confidence now and can wear
most dresses - she's rocking no
sleeves designs, and it's a freedom
because anything goes. At 56, that's
fantastic - a bit like me changing
career at 41. She's got herself back, and
she has the best body she's ever had.'
Were you concerned about the
salary drop from banker to
dance aerobics teacher?

'I was worried - I was 41 and on
a high salary, but I've always been
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