It will bring comfort to millions of women who are feeling guilty after eating too much turkey and Christmas pudding over the past few days – and resolving to start a punishing gym routine in the New Year.

A survey has found that a fuller, curvy figures such as those belonging to Kate Winslet or Kelly Brook are back in fashion among women.

Meanwhile, skeletal stars such as Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss have fallen out of favour, along with the surgically enhanced figure of Katie Price, aka glamour model Jordan.

Oscar winner Miss Winslet, 34 – who served sausages and mash at her first wedding and has spoken openly of the effects of motherhood on her body – topped the poll of 2,000 woman aged 18 or over, with 16 per cent of the votes.

Miss Brook received 15 per cent, while actress Halle Berry, who has an hour-glass figure, was third with 12 per cent.

Beckham, Moss and Price were in equal last place, having received just one per cent of the votes.
Other women included in the list of ten celebrity figures included X Factor judge Cheryl Cole, actress Megan Fox and singer Lily Allen.

Dr Jacquie Lavin, head of nutrition at Slimming World, which commissioned the YouGov poll, said: ‘It shows a positive shift that women are more likely to see Kate Winslet and Kelly Brook as the ideal body shape rather than Kate Moss or Victoria Beckham.

‘It perhaps suggests that it is not being “skinny” that is most important to them anymore, it is being healthy.

‘However, there still remains a great deal of pressure on women to conform to an unrealistic ideal and our survey showed that a massive 85 per cent of women are at least occasionally unhappy with their weight.’

Former Casualty actress Rebecca Wheatley, who last month won Slimming World’s Woman of the Year award after shedding more than 12 stone, said she also believed the results revealed a change in women’s perception of what is attractive.

‘It’s fantastic to see that finally women seem to be aspiring towards a healthy body shape that is realistic and achievable,’ she added.

‘Kate Winslet has always spoken out about the importance of accepting your body. After all, healthy women come in all sizes.

‘It is definitely a step forward that, rather than persuading women to set their sights on being super thin which can lead to misery when they fail to achieve their target, more celebrities are encouraging inner confidence and a positive body image and showing women how they can be happy with their shape.’

In July, another survey found women shunning the boyish shape of stick-thin celebrities.

Domestic goddess Nigella Lawson’s classic hourglass figure topped the Special K breakfast cereal poll of most inspiring female figures, followed by Dame Helen Mirren and Dame Judi Dench.

Just over a third of respondents described themselves as ‘apple-shaped’ with an undefined waistline, a quarter said they were pear-shaped with a big bottom, and 13 per cent said they had an hourglass figure.

THE MOST DESIRABLE CELEBRITY BODIES

The percentage of women polled that aspire to each celebrity’s body shape.

1.  Kate Winslet – 16 per cent

2.  Kelly Brook – 15 per cent

3.  Halle Berry – 12 per cent

4.  Cheryl Cole – 10 per cent

5.  Beyonce – six per cent

6.  Megan Fox – Five per cent

7.  Lily Allen – Four per cent

8.  Keeley Hazell – Two per cent

9.  Kate Moss – One per cent

9. Katie Price – One per cent

9. Victoria Beckham – One per cent

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