Telly stars get workout DVD bug

It may be battle of the bulge - but it's also battle of the celebrity fitness DVD. Women's Editor Maria Cusine looks at the stars who are cashing in on the New Year workout.

Things have come a long way since Jane Fonda started the celebrity fitness craze a quarter of a century ago in her legwarmers and headband workout.

These days, it seems that every celebrity, from reality TV show contestants to soap stars and WAGs, is cashing in on the booming fitness market as they show off their trim figures, telling us "You can do it too".

And now it's that time of year when our thoughts turn to getting into shape and losing some weight.

You've polished off the last slice of turkey, have scoffed the last of your chocolates from your Christmas stocking and are feeling rather bloated and unfit.

And while some of you may be signing up to the gym, others who don't fancy showing off their overindulged Christmas spread will find there are celebrity fitness DVDs a-plenty to get you in the workout mood in the comfort of your own home. They've become a major part of the New Year dieting market.

In the last five years fitness DVDs have become a big industry in themselves with the UK market now worth about £15 million a year.

Making a fitness DVD is now almost part and parcel of celebrity life and it's an increasingly competitive market.

"During January, fitness DVDs are so popular they even outsell many Hollywood blockbuster films as people who piled on the pounds over the festive season feel too ashamed to show off their bellies in the gym and prefer to exercise at home," Tesco DVD buying manager Joel Hanson said.

So who are the latest stars showing off their new look and helping us get into shape? Actresses from EastEnders, Coronation Street, Casualty and Heartbeat are among those showing off their slinky transformations. And it's their real life stories of losing weight which have ousted glamorous pop stars and supermodels off the top spots of the celebrity fitness DVD chart.

Casualty star Rebecca Wheatley is certainly an inspiration having lost 12 stone in just over two years and ex-EastEnders Natalie Cassidy, who played frumpy Sonia Fowler in the soap, has shed four stone.

And it's Natalie's Then & Now work-out, which shows her performing a series of strenuous boxing moves and stomach crunches, which has topped the celebrity fitness DVD chart at Tesco.

"Natalie appeals to ordinary people because of her fantastic weight loss recently. And because of her down-to-earth gritty role in EastEnders she's far more believable than skinny model types," said Joel.

And then there's the WAGS. No, not Posh and Coleen.

These girls are Nicola Tappenden, Lisa Munday and Melissa Johnson. Heard of them? Well Nicola, Lisa and Melissa are the fairer halves of Leeds' Simon Walton, Norwich City's Jamie Cureton and Cardiff City's Roger Johnson respectively. And they're offering viewers the preened look, necessary to get a footballer.

The blurb claims the DVD is: "The must have accessory for all girls wanting to achieve the look and style of a WAG - and who knows, they may even bag themselves a footballer in the process!"

Whichever DVD your plump for, good luck! And if nothing else, they'll probably provide ample opportunity to give your laughter lines a workout.