Christina Ricci talks to ELLE about weight loss, feeling comfortable in a bikini and her favourite designers.

'Stop weighing yourself' is Chrsitina's first tip for feeling better about how you look. 'I quit weighing myself and that really worked,' says the twenty-eight-year-old who, since first appearing on our screens opposite Cher in Mermaids aged nine has gone through several style transformations and overcome anorexia.

In the years she's grown up in front of the camera she's channelled every look from Morticia Adams-esque goth, complete with long black hair and the clothes to match (she actually played Wednesday in The Adams Family when she was 10) to how we see her today, all sun kissed skin and blonde highlighted bob.

'All girls have body issues,' she tells us, 'I was no exception, except that I grew up famous.' She has now, she says, conquered her battle with her weight, with a combination of healthy eating, working out with a trainer three times a week (though ' I wind up cancelling once a week,' she admits!) and not drinking alcohol. 'I'm too small to handle it and that helps keep some weight off' she reveals.

Her only weakness is a few sweets and she does let herself have some, occasionally. Which is how she keeps level headed about staying in shape. 'If you're obsessed with how you look in your bikini, you're not going to have much fun at the beach' she says.

When not lapping up the sun in a bikini you'll mostly find her clad in Givenchy, head designer Riccardo Tischi is one of her favourite designers, 'his clothes fit so beautifully' she says - and that touch of gothic styling at Givenchy can't help but appeal to the Wednesday Adams inside her either.

She is a big fan of Versace too, and credits Donatella Versace with really getting her interested in fashion. 'Donatella made me a fashion girl!' she reveals. 'She invited me to Couture in Paris and put me and my friend Sean up in The Ritz (to choose a dress to wear for the Golden Globes - she was nominated for The Opposite of Sex). I couldn't believe it. I met Liv Tyler, Kate Moss and Amber Valetta, and that's when I fell in love with fashion.'

There's nothing glamorous about her latest role however, as a girl born with the nose of a pig in the fantasy Penelope, also starring Reese Witherspoon and James McAvoy. It's all about looking beyond appearances to the person inside. But was she worried about not looking beautiful on screen in this role? Not Ricci, 'Other people were nervous. I just thought it was a great message to give other young girls.'

Bravo Christina.

Click now to see Christina's amazing style transformation in Then+ Now

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By Laurelle Gilbert

Posted: 2 April 2008