One sexy mother
Elle and Cindy made post-natal exercise videos. Jodie Foster waxed lyrical about the slimming powers of breast-feeding... So how did Tanya Fourie get her body back after having her babies?
It's no big surprise that, in an era of label queens and logo-mania, designer babies (dressed in Gucci, baby Gap and baby Todds) have become de rigeur – along with their designer moms.
Although by 'designer mom' we mean a very different sort of label: There's the earth mother (chanting, crystals (you named your kid after a geological phenomenon); the successful single mom (you get by with a little help from your friends – who all adore your cherub, except when he throws up); the career mother (trying to catch up on your work between 2am and 4am when the baby's asleep); the stay-at-home-mum (a little less sleep-deprived, with luck, but expected to do all things domestic bar fix the kitchen sink); and, lest we forget, the increasingly popular yoga mom ('I hardly even noticed I was in labour,' you boast).
Model mom Tanya Fourie, can't be boxed into any of these categories – like most real women, we'd say. She's all and none of the above (barring the yoga mom, of course. Tanya has a marked aversion to any exercise that doesn't involve chasing after her thrill-seeking one-year-old toddler, Luca). And, after nearly 15 years of modelling, two children, three homes, and one very special relationship with her partner, Nicola Caricola, she's more dazzling than ever.
So, what's the secret? The formula for a perfect life and perfect abs? Well, according to Tanya it's nothing more than being willing to take life as it comes? 'I completely accept every single angle of my body,' she tells me; and the same attitude extends to the way she lives and the way she raises her children.
Being a mother has come to Tanya as naturally as the sparkling smile she lights up for the cameras. 'I've always been more mother than model,' she says, commenting that 'modelling is just a business.' While other models-turned-mothers like Elle McPherson and Cindy Crawford have made mothering into a business, making and selling exercise videos all about getting your body back after giving birth, Tanya's approach is more casual.
She never weighs herself, never looks in the mirror, eats what she wants and refuses to exercise. Her only advice to other mothers is to be happy, strong and safe. No tricks, no smoke-and-mirrors, no special diets or training routines to work your stomach or firm your breasts. Just an open heart and mind.
'When you model, you're so aware of how you should or shouldn't look,' she says. 'Over the years, I've learnt instead to just feel "this is the way I am." If I fit my jeans I fit them. If I don't, instead of getting angry I just think: tomorrow's another day.'
Of course, it probably helps that her favourite foods are things like sushi and fish – but she's not averse to the occasional fry-up if she's in the mood. 'People have this perception that models don't eat – it's not true,' she protests. Tanya's also very clear on passing down to her kids a positive attitude towards food. 'If you have hang-ups about the stuff that makes life enjoyable – food, entertaining and friends – you're going to teach them that. I never make eating an issue.'
Another aspect of Tanya's tranquil mindset is undoubtedly the support of Nicola, who, Tanya explains, has always been a very hands-on father. Her happiness with him has allowed her to be more assured in her own person, as has becoming a mother. 'Having kids gives you a sense of security. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone except them and you,' she says.
The cool, calm space of their family's new house in Genoa, Italy has also added to their quality of life. 'An uncluttered home helps you; it means that nothing will bother you and you can breathe easier. I love clutter, though, and I'd love to have a Bohemian look to my house, but with two young kids it's not possible.'
But surely there must be something Tanya does to keep looking so fabulous? As she turns to me, eyes half made-up as FAIRLADY beauty editor Rose Bruins works on her cheeks, she has the kind of smile that really only comes from a good life and a good heart – and only comes from inside.
'I'm healthy. I have two legs, two arms, ten fingers and ten toes. I can walk. I can run, if I really had to. I know every single negative thing about my body – every single vein that shouldn't show. I've got the same problems as other women, some days I just wish I could give my kids to the babysitter and tell her to take them away. But that's part of getting closer to your child – when he smiles at you, and you know what? You only live once.'
- Fairlady