Bubbly Amanda has a healthy attitude to Life

SHE has a bouncy on-screen persona and manages to look glowing on live TV every Sunday morning when most of us are crawling out of bed.

But as Amanda Hamilton tries on pair after pair of jeans at Edinburgh designer denim specialists Jane Davidson, a refreshing note of insecurity emerges.

While the svelte presenter doesn't quite ask "does my bum look big in these?" – it doesn't – her face shows a certain fretfulness as she tries on a pair a little more fitted in the lower leg than she'd like.

"I work out," she protests with a giggle to jeans expert Alex Smithson, "I've got calf muscles, so some jeans are ridiculous."

Amanda, 33, from Morningside, is in the Thistle Street shop to promote its upcoming annual jeans weekend. She's looking for dark jeans, which will work for casual or dressy, and a boot cut that will go with the wedge heels she likes to wear.

In a turquoise satin top, Diesel jacket and slim-fitting black trousers she looks great, but that's to be expected – after all, she is GMTV's resident health expert and presenter of its slimming spin-off Inch Loss Island, who also runs her own detox retreats.

Yet it can't be easy maintaining a fresh complexion with a hectic lifestyle that involves commuting weekly between Edinburgh and London for work, with the demands of being mum to her three-year-old daughter Jana.

Despite the exquisitely applied makeup she sports today, Amanda claims she is skilled at getting ready at speed. "I don't take much time getting ready," she asserts. "Ironically, when I'm most recognised I tend to be in the park with my daughter. I do a lot of outdoors stuff, so I'll often go out without makeup."

Amanda has a tight slot for finding her perfect jeans before she has to go to pick up the daughter of her new partner Crawfurd Hill, a 44-year-old entrepreneur, who was on last year's Scotland's most eligible men list.

"We haven't been going out long, but it's going well," she says, slightly embarrassed at the question.

She is just about to start filming new BBC 1 series The Last Resort, in which five people stay at a castle in Northern Ireland for a nine-day detox and exercise programme, with elements of life coaching. Her new book is also out at the end of the month, called Life Changing Weight Loss.

Amanda's partner until last summer, Sandy Newbigging, from Barnton, used to be the life coach at her retreats and on their series The Spa of Embarrassing Illnesses. They even pooled their knowledge to write a book together, Life Detox.

But Amanda's smile becomes steely at the mention of the man with whom she formerly shared her home. "We are still friends but we don't work together any more. There were more than just the two of us in the house. There was also my friend and the au pair," she insists. "It was never, 'this is us, happy families'."

Amanda became good pals with GMTV's Kate Garraway while filming Inch Loss Island, which she will record more of in June. She stands up for Kate's performance on Strictly Come Dancing which was slated by the judges. "She's game for a laugh," says Amanda.

She has often highlighted in recent interviews her desire to compete in the show herself. She knows dancers Anton Du Beke, who was Kate's partner, and Brendan Cole, who she first met out clubbing a couple of years ago. Both have whirled her around the dance floor a few times.

"I'd love to do it," she chirps. "I was with the Strictly folks just the other night. I've never trained in dance but I'll be the first up on the dance floor and the last out at a wedding."

Amanda is no stranger to challenges, having coped with the vicissitudes of live television for years. She started out on the short-lived Edinburgh Live and now presents a BBC2 Sunday magazine programme with Tim Lovejoy called Something For The Weekend.

"The most memorable show for me was for the wrong reasons – when I couldn't stop crying," she recalls with a laugh.

"I had an allergic reaction to the makeup and had to keep going because it was live. I can't recall the name of the person I was interviewing, but I met him again lately and he said, 'Oh, at least you're not crying now!'"

Coming out of the changing cubicle Amanda looks over her shoulder, eyeing her legs up and down in the mirror, before announcing herself pleased with the fourth pair of jeans she has tried on, a J Brand original boot cut in indigo.

Alex begins to pin them up and offers to have them ready for collection in an hour. "There's not much to take off the bottoms – you have long legs," notes Alex.

Amanda says her goodbyes and promises to nip back in quickly between collecting Crawfurd's daughter from the station and going mountain biking. "I'm happy as," she declares breezily on her way out.

For details on Amanda's detox retreats and TV work, go to www.amandahamilton.co.uk


ALEX'S DENIM TIPS
Jeans expert Alex Smithson's guide to choosing denim to suit your shape:

Petite: Look for smaller back pockets placed high on the jeans to give a pert shape and longer legs.

Tall: The premium denim brands are all at least 34inch leg, so it's worth investing to get the perfect fit.

Curvy: A bootcut or wide-leg jean balances a curvy shape. Opt for a higher waisted style to show off your waist and avoid the dreaded muffin-top.

Boyish: Branch out into the skinny-flare this summer. Adding the flare below the knee gives a more feminine silhouette.

Athletic: A wide-leg, tailored look can be more flattering, while opting for a low-rise style will show off a toned tummy.