Robyn Lawley: 'It's Like Your Heart Is Walking Around, It’s Not In You Anymore'

Robyn Lawley opened up about becoming a mum, where she finds her inspiration - and why we all need to stop restricting ourselves so much.

You have just been announced as the new ambassador for Fruit Juice Australia to help Aussies stop being afraid of drinking fruit juice (with no added sugar). How did that partnership come about?

They approached me and I was really keen to get involved when I heard the statistics [that 93% of Australians aren't consuming their recommended daily intake of fruit] – I was just like OMG.

Do you think it’s also about our busy lifestyles these days, that you know you need to get your recommended 2 serves of fruit, but it’s hard to find the time when you're on the run?

Yeah it’s hard, you really have to think, did I eat my fruit today? It’s constantly on my mind, and you realise you didn’t.

So through your work with FJA you're hoping to help Aussies to stop being afraid of drinking fruit juice as a source of nutrients?

I drink juice most days and I love the taste and I’m glad to learn that it does other things for me as well. I’m really into real food and especially natural food and I just feel like fruit has been lumped into this negative category and it’s so restrictive. I often go to Italy, and to a café and I’ll get my espresso and a juice - and that's just normal. They don’t make a big fuss about it. I think it’s a bit sad that we have to make a big fuss about it.

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You’re a self confessed foodie, and you have your own cookbook, Robyn Lawley Eats. How do you find a balance between loving food and enjoying yourself, while staying fit and healthy?

Moderation is key - and exercise! Exercise is an integral part of my routine, it makes me feel good. I haven’t been able to exercise in a week and I’m already starting to feel like I need to kick something, and just sweat it out. I love the adrenaline that exercise gives you, and the feeling you get afterward. You feel strong and powerful and I feel that it’s really important to feel like that.

Getting outside and walking everywhere is also so important – or go hiking and swimming which are also great!

You gave birth six months ago, congratulations – your daughter Ripley is so adorable!

Thank you, it’s six months tomorrow! She’s so cute!

Robyn Lawley with six-month-old daughter, Ripley. Photo: Instagram

What surprised you most about becoming a mum?

You definitely feel like your heart is walking around and it’s not in you anymore. It’s intense, and I don’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to her, my heart would just be ruined. I think she’s such a beautiful being and I love her so much.

Have you faced pressure to get back into shape?

I haven’t done too much work since the birth and everyone said it would just happen naturally. I was living overseas when she was born so it was just me and my partner doing it all – and it was hard. I was just hungry all the time – but when you have a baby it’s hard to even go out and get food. So it wasn’t by choice but I lost a lot of weight really quickly even though I didn’t really want to. But breastfeeding helped too.

I definitely have the pressure though – I’m a lingerie and swimwear model, I’m going to have to get back out there soon… I’m a little nervous to see how my regular clients take the changes - having a baby changes your body, it happens. I’m more hippy and there’s more marks and stuff, but we’ll see. They’re all so supportive which is great so at the same time, I’m excited to get back out there.

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Working mum Robyn Lawley makes sure daughter Ripley is never far from her side. Photo: Instagram

You’ve been outspoken against the term plus sized model, where do you think the fashion industry is at with accepting all shapes and sizes?

I think it has changed SO much since I started out, it’s so much better. And Australia is definitely a leader in that – how many covers have I been on in Australia vs America? It’s a huge difference! Europe is on board because they love their curvaceous ladies, and Australia are on board because that’s our national average. But Americans are just still struggling to accept it – it’s like they don’t want you to feel good about yourself almost. They love the crazy diets – it’s just so vastly different.

You’re based in LA now, do you find more pressure being in New York or LA?

New York is cool, it is based on your looks but it’s so much about what you can do and what you can bring to the table outside of just appearances. Whereas LA I find people are so much about what they can get out of you for themselves.

Everyone there just seems so much shorter and smaller and perfect and then I come along and it’s like argh! But I live in a beautiful hippie area called Topanga and no one there cares about any of that, they’re more interested in their houses and gardening.

You’re such an inspiration to so many women, how do you find inspiration?

I just feel like I am my own competition and I want to make and create things that will be respected whether it’s music or media or writing. My partner and I don’t really watch TV we like to spend time together talking and writing.

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Robyn Lawley was marie claire's November 2014 cover girl. Photo: Instagram

Were you raised to have such strong self confidence or was it something you’ve had to work at and teach yourself?

It’s definitely something I’ve had to teach myself. Unfortunately my sisters and I were all such different sizes growing up. My eldest sister was skinny and had a perfect body – no cellulite ever! And my middle sister went through a stage where she was morbidly obese – and then I was kind of in-between the two. It was just the time, we were really exposed to that harsh kind of media, and that’s what worries me about this next generation. When I go on Instagram and see girls’ bodies and I go damn that’s not mine, you can get obsessed with it. That’s why I say – do hobbies, get your mind off it.

Is that what helps you deal with it, by keeping busy?

Yes! I’m into DJing, I just get my mind into that, or I cook, and I just forget, because otherwise you’ll lose yourself in it. People put their best life on Instagram remember that. You don’t know the pain that they go through everyday, or what they’ve been through.

Your daughter is so little now, but how to you plan to raise her to love her body?

I know my daughter is going to be tall, it’s such a hard thing to grow up with, you feel really different, you feel so ostracized because you just don’t fit anything. Also people talk to you more maturely - I was the youngest in my year but they talk to you like you’re older. So I’m going to be very protective of that aspect.

But I’m also interested in the idea of moving to Europe, I’ve heard Holland has an amazing education system where they don’t give them homework or stress them out with these ridiculous tests. Instead they focus on the child themselves and I think that’s such a smarter way to do education. I hated school, it was really hard for me because I wasn’t academically smart, I was very creative. But we’ll see what she’s like - as long as it’s green and there’s lots of nature that’s where we’ll end up.

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