Babe and Bondi, the outspoken, colourful and fun-loving mother-daughter duo on Instant Hotel, made a splash when they hit our screens last week.
But after filming wrapped, Babe’s 20-year-old daughter Bondi decided to transform her life and her health – losing an astounding 23kg in five months. With her weight always on her mind, it took quitting her job in a bar to kickstart the journey.
‘I wanted to lose weight before, but it was really hard with the long hours at work,’ Bondi explains. ‘While we were filming, I lost weight because we were running around all the time. When we came home, I quit my job and stopped eating junk food.
‘Where I was working, you only get a 30-minute break at like 1am, so all I ate was junk food. Quitting got me back into a regular sleeping and healthy eating pattern. I started walking and cooking for myself. I drop weight really fast for some reason. Mum’s always like: ‘I’m so jealous of you!’ But then I put it on really fast, so that’s not great.’
Babe, who admits she and her daughter are more like best friends, has watched Bondi’s weight fluctuate over the year, which she admits is always reflective of her level of happiness.
‘Bondi’s weight has always been up and down,’ the 50-year-old mother-of-one reveals. ‘It’s an emotional barometer.’
The self-confessed ‘international gypsies’ moved back to Sydney two years ago after a decade in Manhattan, New York, and the move took a toll on Bondi’s happiness.
‘I was pretty big in New York and when we moved over here. I gained tons of weight. I didn’t want to move back. I literally ad to recreate my life. I had no friends, no job, I had nothing, wasn’t in school,’ Bondi recalls, before Babe adds: ‘She was a bit lost. But now she loves it.’
Finally settled in Sydney, Bondi finally feels at home and loves her new body.
For the full story see this weeks issue of New Idea – out now!
