'How we stay in Strictly shape': The dancers with the most-watched bodies in the UK reveal their food and fitness regimes 

The Strictly professionals have the most enviable bodies (and tiniest dresses) on TV and the stamina and flexibility of Olympic athletes. So what does it take to look this fabulous? You’ll be surprised, says Victoria Woodhall…

From left: dancers Oti Mabuse, Natalie Lowe and Karen Clifton

Karen Clifton, 33, was born in Venezuela and grew up in New York. The former world mambo champion reached the Strictly Come Dancing final with partner Mark Wright last year, coming fourth. This year she is dancing with broadcaster Jeremy Vine. She lives with her husband, professional dance partner and fellow Strictly pro Kevin Clifton.

Height: 5ft 6in

Waist: 26in

Dress size: 8

My genes I have an athletic body – if I were in the Spice Girls, I would be Sporty Spice. My whole family is sporty: my mum used to play softball for the Venezuelan national team and is always sending me pictures of herself with her trainer doing push-ups and curls. 

Dancing came into play when we moved to New York when I was eight. I didn’t speak English very well and my school had an arts programme for kids who had trouble with their studies. I would stay one evening a week for dance lessons and, listening to the teacher and socialising with the kids, I slowly began learning English – as well as getting hooked on dance. My family loved parties and every weekend there was salsa dancing.

My fitness I have to work hard on my stamina. When I’m dancing with a celebrity, I have to initiate everything because they are not leading. It’s hard work keeping them in position as well as doing my own steps, and when it comes to lifts I have to support myself. My workout regime is primarily dancing eight to ten hours a day. Hot yoga keeps my muscles elongated and my mind focused. I love finding new ways to stay fit so I don’t get bored. I go for fast-paced walks, try different classes at the gym and do military fitness in the park. I think I might try indoor climbing next – you can never be too adventurous.

If I have 15 minutes free at home I run up and down the stairs. Doing that ten times really gets your heart rate up and your core centred, and works your glutes and quads. Even vacuuming is good – anything that will challenge my muscles and keep my heart pumping. Sometimes I put on some Beyoncé or old-school R&B when I’m washing up because it makes me forget I’m doing something I don’t like, so I do hip twists when I clean the bathroom and shimmy when I wash the dishes. Even when I’m cooking I’m dancing back and forth. It never leaves my body.

I take an hour’s walk before breakfast to clear my mind. I start with a stroll while I’m drinking my cappuccino. I find a bench and do step-ups, push-ups and squats and then I power walk. I repeat the same circuit four or five times. I’ll work on my abs in front of the TV – I do planks and side planks in front of The Great British Bake Off, which I love. I’m not a fan of crunches because when you get tired you start pulling on your neck. Anything to do with balancing also works the abdominals. I stand on one leg when I’m brushing my teeth – Kevin laughs at me.

The great thing about Strictly is that we all have completely different bodies. You have to work with what you have. I am more compact so with the jive I can do my steps quicker than someone with long legs. But a waltz is more elegant if you’re taller because it’s all about the big frame and long strides. In ballroom dances the girls have to look away from their partners, so you need strong posture, back and neck muscles to stay in position. To train, I lie on my belly and raise my chest and lower back up and down like a cobra.

My diet I don’t believe in denying yourself as you start craving things more. I have a sweet tooth so I’ll always have Cadbury’s chocolate as a treat. After my morning walk I make myself four scrambled eggs on toast (I only use two yolks) with a glass of orange juice and then if Kevin and I are going to do a show we will practise for two hours. I have kale, salmon, tomatoes and avocado for lunch. For dinner I like a good old roast: chicken, sweet potatoes, spinach and mushrooms.

I don’t count calories. I always snack on fruit or crunchy peanut butter and sip on my 1.5 litre bottle of water.

My wind-down During Strictly I only get four or five hours’ sleep at night. When I get back from training at 10.30pm, I’ll cook and have a glass of wine. I take vitamin D because when I’m always indoors I feel the difference in my energy levels. I have a life coach, [former Strictly pro] Camilla Dallerup, who I talk to on Skype as she lives in LA. She knows how stressful dancing can be so she gives me breathing techniques and music to calm me down and we do hypnosis.

Natalie Lowe, 35, is a nine-time Australian dance champion and joined Strictly in 2009, reaching second place with Hollyoaks actor Ricky Whittle. This year she partnered chef Ainsley Harriott. She lives in London and is engaged to company director James Knibbs.

Height: 5ft 9½in

Waist: 26in

Dress size: 8

My genes I’d describe my body as athletic, strong and womanly. I like to eat well, stay healthy and not diet. Women should embrace having a bit of meat on their bones. 

I’ve been dancing since the age of three. Growing up in Sydney I rollerbladed and water-skied. I loved basketball and was high-school track and field champion four years in a row. I was the tallest girl in school – I’m 5ft 9½ in – but I’ve always loved food, so I have to be quite careful with what I eat. As you get older you get smarter about what works for your body. The older I get, the fitter I want to become. The camera adds pounds so we’ve got to be aware of how we look.

I had the worst acne growing up; I hardly ever left the house as I was I so self-conscious. My father made me learn a trade as a back-up so I trained in beauty therapy to prevent other girls going through what I went through. I managed a salon in one of Sydney’s leading day spas, where I worked with many skin specialists. It was there that I got my head around a great skincare routine. Diet played a big factor, too: I used to drink a lot of sugary drinks and eat processed foods. I have learned that less is more with skincare: always cleanse, don’t use products with mineral oils that clog your skin and don’t over-exfoliate.

My fitness I am quite muscular and have to be careful how I exercise as I retain muscle easily. 

I rarely do weights or go to the gym. I prefer exercises that use my own body weight such as press-ups and push-ups. I do 30 minutes of exercises a day, but during Strictly I’ll do more and add 320 sit-ups. I swim or do yoga or pilates. Whenever I get a chance I’ll jump on my bike. If I can keep in shape by being outdoors or enjoying activities with other people then I’m happy. 

Dance is my main form of exercise. It works the arms, core, legs and back; it’s cardio, endurance training, conditioning and sculpting – it really is a full body workout. I teach FitSteps, a ballroom- and Latin-based dance programme, which I put together with my dance partner Ian Waite and [former Strictly contestant and swimmer] Mark Foster. We now have 2,000 trainers across the country. Doing it two or three times a week is enough to keep a happy mind and body as long as I’m eating sensibly.

My diet So long as you are healthy and happy with your body, you shouldn’t worry about dieting. It’s not good to cut out too much: your hair starts falling out and your mood changes because you haven’t had enough carbs. I’ve had to learn the hard way. Now I love avocados and have bacon when I want. It’s important to have everything in moderation. Keeping active is key – if you’re bored you go to the fridge.

I eat a breakfast of two poached eggs with chicken or fish, plus spinach or broccoli. For lunch I’ll have a salad with some form of protein or raw veggies, hummus and tuna. Dinner is chicken thighs, fish, beef or turkey with steamed veggies.

On Sundays I will have a cheat meal. It’s about making smart choices, so I will skip potatoes in my roast to leave room for dessert. 

My wind-down During Strictly we just see four walls and lights, camera, action from August through to Christmas, so cycling to work gives me 30 minutes’ downtime when I can breathe in fresh air.

Sleep and staying hydrated are the most important things for energy. If you don’t drink enough fluid you get grumpy and won’t stay sharp. I keep my coffee and tea intake to one or two cups a day and drink coconut water.

Oti Mabuse, 25, joined Strictly this year, partnering boxer Anthony Ogogo. The eight-time South African Latin American champion grew up in Pretoria and lives in Germany with her husband Marius Iepure, a professional dancer whom she met when they appeared on the German version of the show.

Height: 5ft 4in

Waist: 24in

Dress size: 8

My genes I’m the curviest dancer on the show; I like that I have hips and boobs and a bum – it’s different and new. It wasn’t easy growing up because I developed very early, but now I am really confident in my body. I started dancing at the age of four because I wanted to copy my elder sisters. My sister Motsi is now a judge on the German version of Strictly. 

We were all very sporty: we ran, danced and played basketball, hockey, netball and tennis. My mother was our dance trainer. I studied civil engineering at university in South Africa but it was a ten-hour flight to dance competitions in Europe so I moved to Germany, which is one of the best places for competitive dance. 

Some dances are harder for me because I am African so I have a lot of rhythm. There’s no hip action in ballroom – you just have to be really elegant and disciplined. I love Latin because you’re so free. As a dancer you don’t see yourself as sexy. It’s hard work; fun but highly technical and it requires great concentration.

My fitness I train with the German national dance federation and they give every dancer a fitness programme. I have very long legs so I have to build muscle in order to control them and so that they look good when I’m extending. I do a lot of thigh exercises such as squats, lunges and running. 

My arms are long, too, so I need to build them up with push-ups and weights. I train at the gym for two and a half hours, three to four times a week. I have discovered battle ropes – they work everything. It’s best to do something fun to stay fit – for me that’s squash, football, jogging or basketball. My husband and I are trainers at a dance school in Nuremberg and he’s also my professional partner, so most days we practise together, teach and then practise again.

Every six months I go with the German team to a four-day training camp where they test our fitness. We all have to dance the cha cha with our partners for eight minutes while they monitor our heart rates and put them on the big screen for everyone to see. You are measured as red, yellow or green, depending on how fit you are. When I started I was very bad – after only three minutes my heart rate was already over the limit. They gave me a programme to build my stamina and muscles. At the last camp I was much better and in the top zone. They really want us to be fit because when you are dancing at competition level you might be doing 30 dances in a day. 

When I’m away from home I use a fitness app called Daily Workouts. The sports stars on Strictly are always amazed by how fit we are. When Anthony was teaching me to box he couldn’t believe how fast my footwork, arms and twists were.

My diet At training camp we are recommended foods for our body type and blood group, as well as supplements. I had to cut down meat to three times a week and eat a lot of salmon. 

For breakfast I have an omelette with two eggs and a salad. For lunch I have meat and salad. If I’m low on energy I eat grapes because they are high in sugar. I do love sweets, but I don’t snack too much. 

My weaknesses are burgers, chips and pizza, which I will have about once a week. I take garlic and parsley supplements, magnesium, vitamin B complex, omega 3 and a multivitamin.

My wind-down It’s important to have one day off a week to recover physically, mentally and spiritually, otherwise you will burn out. I love staying in bed watching Grey’s Anatomy or movies and eating popcorn.

Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One on Saturday and Sunday evenings

Hair: Charley McEwan at Frank Agency. Make-up: Laurence Close at Carol Hayes Agency. Costume assistant: Gemma Davison. All dresses provided by DSI London. 13 Intuition Lambda Road Bike, £849.99, Halfords