Reality Ravings

In the TV section of the Daily Telegraph today there is an interview with Ajay Rochester who has had to develop a thick skinned due to her not being the usual sleek and slim host of a TV show.

Ajay has come into criticism because of her own weight and also one critic said she had no empathy with the contestants at all and wasn't up to the job.

Ajay who is thirty eight says she disagrees on both these issues.

She feels she is winning the battle of the bulge and says the fact she has to watch her weight makes her a better host.

"I have been there, I have done it,"

"I totally get where they are coming from and what they are going through. When the camera is not on we all talk about it, share advice and they ask how I handle things.

"....I think it makes me a better spokesperson for the show, off-camera it definitely helps the contestants."

Ajay will spend as many as 12 hours a day on set, most of that time with the contestants. Which begs the question why doesn't she work out with them?

"Off screen I have a really close relationship with most of them. I have had lasting friendships come out of both series. And this series I have no doubt that that I will definitely keep in touch with a lot of them,"

However these friendships can have a negative effect on her hosting duties.

"Some of the questions I have to ask them are quite curly, and in real life I probably would never ask those questions, "

"I kind of give them a look that warns them so they know a curly one is coming that does not come from me.

"The very nature of that kind of [exchange] makes it ok, they know it is not me and it is just the show trying to get the best TV out of it."

She also has memories of being obese herself saying there were many times when strangers called her fat, or told her to lose weight.

"I got that the whole time I was big. I was standing at a bus stop once and a passing car threw an apple at me and yelled, "Why don't you go to Jenny Craig?".

"It's been six years since I've been obese, so I am kind of winning. I might not be skinny, but I am winning.

On the issue of the contestant weight loss is not sustainable:
"If you look at stats they show that 90 per cent of people who lose weight stack it back on within a year."

"So if you look you look at how many of our contestants have kept it of, it is probably 65 per cent.

"The reality is that it is a life-long problem, that you cannot learn in six months. And while some may have put some back on, or all of it back on, they may win the battle yet."

The finale will be on 1 May.