RACHEL Peru is a body confidence coach, activist, silver haired curve model, influencer and host of the popular Out of the Bubble podcast.

Rachel, who is represented by Bridge Models in London, moved to Addingham five years ago having lived in Ilkley all her life and is very proud to help fly the flag for Yorkshire. During lockdown Rachel has even been modelling and doing catwalks from her home and garden in her village.

Craven Herald: Rachel Peru has fully embraced her curves and her naturally grey hair and is flying the flag for misunderstood and misrepresented women everywhere

Rachel has fully embraced her curves and her naturally grey hair. In fact, she has become famous for her silver locks and is flying the flag for misunderstood and misrepresented women everywhere. She is passionate about showing other women, particularly those in midlife, that they are not invisible in the fashion industry. Rachel broke barriers when she appeared in a ground-breaking Swimsuits for All campaign with Ashley Graham and her career was launched from there. Since then, she has gone on to model for international lingerie campaigns with leading brands, including Chantelle Paris, Figleaves and featured in several JDWilliams fashion commercials.

After starting a new career in modelling aged 46, Rachel now aged 50, champions women in midlife and inspires others to step out of their comfort zone to become more confident through sharing other women’s stories on her weekly Out of the Bubble podcast. She has interviewed women from all walks in life, including Meg Matthews, Olympic champion Jenny Stoute and celebrity stylist Nicky Hambleton Jones.

Craven Herald: Rachel Peru is famous for her naturally grey hair.

Rachel has recently been included in Platinum Magazine’s top 50 influencers of 2020 list. and has recently launched her ‘Rediscover You’ midlife body confidence courses aimed at helping to inspire thousands of women over 40 to become more body confident in midlife.

“I never imagined I would be starting this new career as a model, podcaster and midlife body confidence coach in my forties and now fifties,” she said. “Since turning 40 I have found a new level of confidence both in my mind and with my body which has been liberating and allowed me to focus on what I really want to achieve. It’s been a gradual process and owning my ambitions and ideas felt scary but was a huge step forward. I’m excited to have launched my ‘Rediscover You’ midlife body confidence courses this month, which will help and inspire of women over 40 to become more body confident in midlife.”

Here’s some of Rachel’s five top tips to kick start your way back to feeling better in your body.

1. Change your focus. We get so hooked up on all the negative feelings about our bodies and it takes up so much brain space that it becomes all-consuming and extremely draining. If you focus on the things in life that make you feel happy instead you can slowly shift your mind set and gain a better perspective. So, if you really love a certain activity really engage in and throw yourself in to that which a) will boost your mood and b) increase your confidence levels.

2. Show your body some gratitude. I’m a huge fan of journaling and writing three things that I’m grateful for at the end of each day.

3. Stop falling into the self-comparison trap. We are all guilty of and with the world of social media ever increasing it’s even harder to avoid. Help create a healthier mind set by really looking at the people you follow and questioning how they actually make you feel. If you’re following people that leave you feeling worse about yourself then have a cull. We are bombarded by so many images every day and we need to take back control of what we allow to go in. I’d also recommend making the selection of people you follow as diverse as possible. The more diversity we see can really open up our minds and help us realise that we’re all different and that we need to celebrate that, not hide from it.

4. Don’t get involved in the self-critique competition with friends. How often do you sit with girlfriends and all we can hear is negative running commentary about our own flaws which escalates into ring match of who can be the harshest about ourselves! Step away from it, call your friends out on it.

5. Buy nice lingerie. I didn’t start investing in my underwear until I turned 40 and I noticed such a difference over the years. It’s about how it makes you feel and not about anyone else. When you step out of the door wearing a nice matching set it can be a really empowering feeling and put a spring in your set.

For more information visit www.rachelperu.co.uk