HOLLYOAKS actress Jessica Fox has been praised by fans for her honest post about body acceptance.
The actress, best known for playing Nancy on the Channel 4 soap, shared a mirror selfie where she stripped down to a swimsuit.
The black one-piece had a plunging neckline and was ruffled around the neck and shoulderline, with Jessica, who welcomed her first child last year, posing in her bedroom and declaring it a “Mum fit”.
Alongside the post on Instagram, Jessica wrote a long caption describing her personal battle with learning to love her body, and how she’s finally reached peace with it.
She wrote: “Trying on a swimming costume at 11pm with a full washing basket behind me.
“I think like most people I have a complicated relationship with my body. The amount of time I’ve spent hating it would add up to weeks rather than hours.
“I feel there is so much noise around what we should look like, how we should be working out, what we should be eating, feeling, sleeping and honestly…it’s exhausting!”
“The goal posts change but the pressure to be whatever this year’s version of perfect is the same,” she added.
“BUT back to me. In this moment looking at myself I didn’t have hate, I was fairly ‘alright with it’.
“It’s not a perfect body but it’s mine. It grew a little human and I was lucky to be able to breastfeed.
“It’s now healthy and strong enough to play, to roll around, chase, cuddle and to carry and seeing as it’s almost my birthday – that’s something to celebrate.”
Jessica’s co-stars and fans were quick to cheer on the honesty of her post, and celebrated how she looked in the photo.
Jennifer Metcalfe, best known as Mercedes on Hollyoaks, called her “Absolutely stunning”.
Another agreed with her caption and wrote: “definitely!! – and personally I think you look great”
“You look incredible,” added another, while a third said: “Soo well said, it’s ace when mothers allow themselves the credit of what their body has gifted them and love it for it, in the present moment”
“I know the struggle, with my body image too! You look amazing x,” said a fourth.
