Gwen Battles 'Chubby Kid' Within

The toned and taut figure Gwen Stefani showed off at the VMAs in a clinging-on-for-dear-life leopard-print gown didn't come easy. But unlike certain celebrities who claim their fat-free frames are natural or the result of nixing calorie-laden vices such as French fries (Hilary Duff, we're looking at you), the pulchritudinous pop star says she achieved her slimline look through good old-fashioned hard work.

"I'll never be one of those women who says, 'I look like this because that's how I am,'" Gwen tells Grazia magazine. "I work out a few hours every day. It takes a lot of effort for me to look like this. If I slack off, it really shows. That little chubby kid starts coming out and I have to rein her back."

Not surprisingly, she's having some trouble letting go of her pudgy past. "I still think of myself as a fat little dorky kid from Orange County desperately wanting to be cool," Stefani admits. "I wasn't a prom queen or cheerleader. I was 10 pounds overweight and wore my odd little clothes."

While the No Doubt frontwoman later grew out of her awkward stage ("the weight shifted up with me and I guess I was pretty popular") and eventually fulfilled her cheerleader dreams in the "Hollaback Girl" video, she admits there's still one goal she's yet to achieve, namely having a baby with husband Gavin Rossdale.

"It hasn't happened and that's something that isn't under my control," she says. "I would like it to happen, of course I would, but I have an amazing husband and career so I'm not complaining."

It's just really refreshing to know that I'm not weird. I have to work out and eat right to look the way I want, and so do celebrities even though they like to say they have really good genes...blah, blah, and more blah.

I respect a celeb so much more if they have to work at being beautiful. I know there are those lucky people (both famous and not) and I'm not saying I hate them for it, but I connect more to the ones that have to work.

A couple hours a day of working out to get Gwen's body. Hmmm. It just isn't worth it to me. I'd love to look that great, but I'd never want to devote more than an hour a day to doing so. Maybe I'm OK with being slightly rounder!

They all have to work at - the ones who say that don't are jsut big FAT liars!!

If I got paid as much as her and could afford a personal trainer and the best of everything I would have no problem doing it either! And a chef to prepare all my meals...ahh a girl can dream right?

We were just talking about this at work today.......how it would be so wonderful to get paid to have a trainer and work out all day and to have a chef to cook our healthy meals for us. I love Gwen Stefani for saying it's hard work!

Especially if the personal trainer is male, shirtless, and full of muscles.. right ladies?

Hooray for Gwen! She rocks all round!

Tell it how it is!

I bet most other celebs say that's "how they are" to cover up their coke/cigarette/coffee/speed addiction!! Just MHO!

wow, good story...all of a sudden i feel a lil closer to ms stefani LOL

I read an interview with Marg Helgenberger (CSI) a couple of years ago and was impressed with her too. I think she's lovely and about my age She says she lifts weights and does whatever cardio strikes her at the moment ... including spinning classes. That seemed pretty much like all the rest of us have to do.