IN an ideal world, Nadia Sawalha would have banished the word ‘diet’ from the cover of her cookbook.

But, says the author of Greedy Girl’s Diet, there are certain rules that must be followed.

“You need that word so people can find the book,” explains the presenter and Celebrity Masterchef winner.

“But I really believe that if you think you are on a diet, you are going to stuff your face at some point. Unless you can feel like a normal person who sometimes eats a pudding and has a bit too much to drink, you will not succeed.”

The 48-year-old says a constant state of ‘dieting and denial’ resulted in her being obese.

“I tried the grapefruit diet and was constipated like you wouldn’t believe. I did all of them, so how come I wasn't thin?” she said.

Eventually, she decided to eat as normally as possible and simply shave off the hidden calories here and there, as well as eating enough to fuel an active lifestyle. As a result, Sawalha shed three and a half stone.

RASPBERRY AND CHOCOLATE MOUSSE POTS (Serves 4)

75g dark chocolate, 2 large egg whites, 1tbsp caster sugar, 4tbsp reduced-fat creme fraiche, 350g raspberries.

Break up the chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, ensuring the water doesn’t touch the bowl.

Stir the chocolate until it melts, set aside to cool.

Using an electric whisk, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Slowly add the sugar and whisk again until stiff.

Stir the cooled chocolate into the creme fraiche, then gently fold in the egg white mixture. Divide the raspberries between four pots and top with the chocolate mousse. Pop into the fridge for four hours to set.