Gail Porter: 'Dan didn't hit me'

She is now so concerned about Honey being in danger that she won't employ a nanny, and often turns down work because "Honey comes first".

Porter entered the public consciousness-when her naked buttocks were projected on to the Houses of Parliament in November 1999 as part of an FHM publicity stunt. It may not seem like the thing a well brought-up girl from Edinburgh would do, but she clearly saw it as a way to boost her career. Indeed, for years she had worked single-mindedly, with the encouragement of her parents, Sandra and Craig, to get what she wanted - a plum job on television.

She was a runner for four years before using her famous gift of the gab to blag her way into her first job on Fully Booked, a children's Saturday morning show, which is how she met Dan, four years her junior and then guitarist in the group Toploader, at the Q awards in

2000. They were married in August the following year at a low-key registry office service in Edinburgh.

For someone who once said she'd never get married or have kids, Porter, 33, is certainly taking to it very well.

"I always used to say I wanted a dog more because I honestly didn't think I could have children. I hadn't had a period for nine years because of my anorexia. I was protecting myself, but deep down I really wanted kids. Luckily, I got pregnant within two months of trying. We had to do seven pregnancy tests just to be convinced. Honey is my miracle baby!"

She credits Dan with helping her overcome her anorexia and become more confident about herself and her body. Does she regret having done all those nearly-nude covers for all the men's magazines? "No, not all. I have nothing to be ashamed of. They helped me get where I am today. They also helped with my body image. I had to warn my parents about the Houses of Parliament thing, but they had already seen it on TV.

"When I was doing a serious debate on Radio Scotland a few months later, one of the MPs said my buttocks had sat on his face, and I blushed.

"My anorexia wasn't a conscious decision to stop eating. It just happened gradually. I'd just moved to London and things were so unstable work-wise that I wasn't eating regularly. Then I realised my weight was the one thing I could control. I just went off the rails for a bit, but it's such a selfish disease. I knew I was in trouble and I went to my doctor for help, but he just sent me away saying, 'Well, just eat something then, girl!'

"When I got pregnant, I knew I had to start eating properly for the sake of my baby. It was the end of selfish Gail. God, was I starving! I was tired of just eating tomatoes."

But she's adamant that one baby is more than enough because her pregnancy was so difficult. She had appalling morning sickness, and her weight ballooned to 11st (she is now 7st), and the painkillers she was prescribed for back pain for six months after the birth have left her wary. "The pain was so bad, I thought I was going to die."

Her daughter has inherited her love of the camera and lack of self-consciousness. Porter tells me Honey actually waves at the paparazzi when she sees them. She's also been known to go up to complete strangers and shout "boobies" very loudly.

"Honey has made me grow up," she says simply. "I'm enjoying life more now and taking every day as it comes. I always try to push myself. But I won't be pushed around by these rumours that keep dogging me. Nothing can keep me down."

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