Gwyneth 'two girdles' Paltrow

Just how Gwyneth Paltrow managed to shed three stone after giving birth to baby Apple has been the subject of endless speculation.

Macrobiotic diets, marathon sessions of yoga and Pilates were all suspected of helping her shrink back to her Hollywood weight of eight stone.

But now the actress has revealed her secret weapon.

"Two girdles! It's a great trick," she said. "That's how all the Hollywood girls do it. There are these great things called Spanx, which are like bike shorts, and they just squeeze you in. It's terrific."

She says she is still 10lb heavier than before pregnancy. But in an interview with USA Today, she said: "The most important thing is I'm getting lots of calories and good nutrition because it's all going straight to Apple."

Paltrow describes her threeanda-half-month-old daughter as "just the most incredible thing that's ever happened to me. I'm just amazed at how much I love her." But she won't be taking on major roles at the moment: "I just want to be home right now and not commit to doing anything that's too big."

Gwyneth, 31, and her husband Chris Martin plan to keep dividing their time between homes in New York and London, but Paltrow said paparazzi attention had made them consider leaving London. "It's really frustrating. I wish people would just let us get on with it once in a while and let us have a normal day together."