I write to you my friends, sitting here munching happily on a slab of toblerone, actually not munching more gnawing, but happy nevertheless. It is a reward to myself for completing the Jessie Wallace Look At Me Now Workout DVD. Well yes look at me too, stuffing my face with chocolate after exhausting myself with the Full Body Workout. I know it’s not exactly the point, a workout followed by a three-course sugar meal, but I am celebrating the completion of a fitness DVD marathon, which I have undertaken for you dear friends, in a bid to show you there is another way to get a trimmer bum. I have tried the latest fitness DVD's from Coleen Nolan, Rosemary Conley, Davina McCall, Hannah Waterman and now Jessie Wallace and Toblerone is the least I deserve.

And so to Jessie. With the help of the obligatory bikini snap, she solemnly informs us that she decided to make a change when she had ‘ballooned up to a size 14’. Now admittedly she is only 5 foot 2”, so I can appreciate that a size 14 looks a little bigger on a smaller person. But she still didn’t look like a balloon to me, just a bit overweight. However a few months later she has lost 2 stone and dropped 3 dress sizes and looks amazing, so hats off again to her for that. Her DVD offers a range of workouts including, Full Body Workout, Boxercise, Legs and Bum, Arms and Abs Attack. There is of course a warm up and cool down as well.

Full Body Workout and Boxercise.

I had a go at these two, because I wanted the full body burn, but also I quite like boxing and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed them both, especially the boxing, which does allow you to vent any excess aggression. Jessie’s trainer is a lovely bloke called Paul Ellis and he offers clear and straightforward instruction. The exercises aren’t too difficult and there is an easy and hard option - Paul does the easy version, Jessie the tougher one. The former Eastender bounces around like the Duracell Bunny throughout and her enthusiasm is truly contagious. She is bursting to tell us where it should hurt and how we should do it and I really liked her approach.

At the start of the Boxercise workout Paul tells us that they used to have to open the double doors at the gym when Jessie first started training, because she couldn’t fit through just one door. Now that is the kind of humiliating anecdote that will force you into any gym. Jessie laughs at the memory and then punches him good-naturedly, but she is now so muscular it probably hurt. God love them both. But they made me sweat and although I don’t ache anywhere just yet, I have no doubt I will tomorrow, which is nice. Something to look forward to. Fortunately I still have the strength in my arms to break off some Toblerone, so life is good.

Would I recommend you have a go at Jessie’s DVD? Well yes I would. Was it my favourite? Well having done five now, I think I still slightly favour Rosemary Conley’s, because based entirely on longevity and stamina that woman is an absolute marvel. But I take my hat off to all the ladies who have put these DVD’s together. They all look amazing and have clearly literally worked their arses off.

Now speaking of bums, I had to share this video clip with you. Poor old Gillian Cooke. She has though, in one foul swoop, raised the profile of bobsleigh another notch and fair play to her and her partner Nicola Minichiello. They are world champions and will be worth keeping an eye on at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. But catching a glimpse of her knickers took me right back to the time at school when I had popped to the loo and had left my PE skirt tucked into my gym pants. Oh the humiliation. A PE teacher spared my blushes by running up behind me and tugging them out. But not before I had wandered around the school chatting to friends. It still makes me go beetroot just thinking of it. Ahh happy days.......