Nutritionist Emily English reveals how quitting modelling helped her develop a healthy, happy relationship with food

She has been labelled Britain’s favourite nutritionist, with every healthy recipe she creates immediately rustled up by her millions of fans. But Emily English has made a career of defying the stereotype of a healthy-eating guru who espouses only pulses and vegetables.

A lover of food since childhood, the former model prides herself on creating menus that feature popular dishes such as spaghetti, meatballs and lasagne.

“I’ve always stayed true to who I am, and that is creating food you want to eat,” she tells hello! in this exclusive interview. “I think everyone wants to feel healthy, but they also want to live their lives. I’ve hit that balance of giving people what their body needs but also what they want.”

With 1.8 million followers on Instagram, Emily’s influence grows every month. She has just released her second cookbook, Live to Eat, following the runaway success of her debut release, So Good, last year, and is planning a podcast on which she will cook with guests. All this while renovating a property in South London.

“I absolutely love my community, because we’re all connected through the love of food,” says Emily, who turns 30 in July. “You can go anywhere in the world and you may not speak the same language, but if you love food, you’ll sit over it at the table and connect.”