Meet our new dancing queen

We chat to GMTV's new fitness expert Camilla Dallerup about our new Dancing Queen Diet, jungle life and Strictly!

Dancing is obviously fantastic exercise - what sort of workout does it provide?

I think what's so wonderful about dancing is that it actually works the whole body in one go, as well as the mind. You can't help but feel uplifted after you dance because even when it gets difficult, you're engaging your mind and you get excited when you manage to overcome any tricky steps. Obviously it's releasing the endorphins when you're dancing, so you end up in a fabulous mood, feeling very happy and confident.

You're going to be showing us some fantastic Latin dances (cha cha cha, samba and jive) as part of GMTV's Dancing Queen diet, what parts of the body do they work?

The cha cha is a very good in road to dancing. When you're doing something like the jive, it's obviously very fast, you're flicking and kicking all the time so you're almost jumping constantly which is great for stamina but also you're working your leg muscles. The samba is very bouncy, you're using your ankles and we don't work those muscles very much. I think what dancing does is stretch and lengthens all your muscles.

You obviously struggled in the jungle because of the immense change to your diet? What sort of things do you usually make sure you eat?

Because I'm an athlete and I've been exercising since I was three, I've always known what I should be eating and how to eat well. I've always enjoyed a lot of fruit, vegetables, fish and even potatoes, and pasta because obviously when you're exercising a lot, you need to have equivalent food. It's no good just exercising and not thinking about what you're putting in your mouth – it's really important to eat well. I have lots of snacks – nuts, dried fruits and sometimes even chocolate. I've never tried a diet because I just believe in healthy eating and exercise, that works for me. The jungle made me aware that you need to understand your body and each person is different – some have fast metabolism, some slow and that's why it's important to research and look into a diet before you go ahead. The jungle was a complete crash diet and just didn't work for me. It was scary and actually sent my body into complete shock.

What would you like the main message of the diet to be?

Healthy lifestyle! I think everybody is different and that's ok but the main thing is how you feel inside. If you feel good, you look good - it's all in the eyes isn't it? I would like to think I'd get everyone motivated to do some exercise, not just because they want to lose some weight, that's a bonus, but the most important thing is to feel energised.

What have you been doing since leaving the jungle to ensure you're fighting fit again?

I've been sleeping and eating, then eating and sleeping! It's been lovely.

You've been quite complimentary about Katie Price since leaving the jungle? Did you really get on well?

I did get on well with Katie. She's a mum and really did help me when I felt unwell one night – one doesn't forget that. You're really on your own out there, it's scary and she helped me to the doctors and waited up until the middle of the night with me, even when she was feeling jet lagged.

Is there anyone you think you'll keep in contact with?

Oh yes, quite a few of them. I got on really well with Samantha Fox, she was quite upset when I left and we had some lovely chats out there. I'm hoping I'll meet up with George again as I do have a slight crush on him – he's such an intriguing, interesting man. I'll probably even meet up with Kim again – she was hilarious. She does say it as it is but I don't mind that as I'm Danish and quite straight forward too. She was very sweet to me and was very much like a mother. Lucy and Jimmy are both hilarious too and I'd like to see them again.

Would you have done any of the bush tucker trials?

I'd have loved any of the physical challenges – the climbing etc. I don't think I could have eaten any of the horrible stuff - I'd actually be quite worried about what that would do to my body and my health. You don't know how you're body will react to that stuff. Anything with the creepy crawlies, I wouldn't be too fussed about. I got to the point where I got used to spiders crawling over me in the camp and I'd just brush them off.

What do you think of your replacement Joe Bugner?

He's a bit of a bully isn't he? I don't know whether that's just the side they've decided to show. Yesterday he started to show a different side and he gave Kim a hug. He doesn't seem to engage his mind before he speaks and obviously doesn't realise he's being offensive. Justin made a brilliant point the other day by saying that Joe is the only one who hasn't worked in a team before so maybe that contributes to the problem.

Do you miss Strictly Come Dancing?

I feel I've moved on now and I don't really miss it in that way. It'll always be a big part of my career and I'm really grateful for that. I wouldn't say that I'd never be involved again in a different capacity. There are also lots of other dance shows starting next year that I'd love to work on. I'm proud to see what dancing has done – lots of people have started dance classes and that means more people are socialising too. Dancing brings people together and it's escapism- it takes you to another place. I used to work a lot in Asia and everyone went dancing in their lunch breaks as it cleared their mind and they found it helped them focus in the afternoon.

Have you been watching it this year? Who are you impressed with?

I have when I've been in the country. There's been so many injuries this year which shows how tough it's getting. I don't think there's been as many interesting characters this year. I've got so many favourites from other years – James Martin, Darren Gough, Mark Ramprakash, Jill Halfpenny, Gethin, Tom. They were massive characters. My favourite this year was Tuffers because for me he had the personality and the dancing skills. Also Natalie has so much enthusiasm and that's brilliant. I wouldn't be surprised if she won. People can relate to her and that's so important. It's ok to be technically correct but you need to connect with the audience.