Kara Tointon: 'I can eat what I want'

Kara Tointon has expressed gratitude for discovering a love of dance, as it allows her to eat "like an elephant".

The ex-Eastenders star, who was crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion back in December 2010, told Buzz that she would be "devastated" if she ever had to give up ballroom and return to calorie counting.

She said: "I'll be devastated if I stop dancing, because it’s a great way to stay in shape and I can eat anything I want."

Tointon also claimed that her appetite had began to rival that of her Strictly lover Artem Chigvinstev, at least according to her sister, Inbetweeners actress Hannah.

"Hannah noticed I’ve been eating more and said: 'You know you don’t have to eat everything Artem eats?’

"I heard that a whole night of intense dancing can burn 10,000 calories, so I’ve been eating like an elephant."