Hollyoaks star Stephanie Waring, 48, has shown off her incredible abs in a new social media post, revealing the results of hitting the gym in recent months. The actress, best known for her role as Cindy Cunningham in the Channel 4 soap, took to Instagram on Sunday to candidly share her exercise routine.
Fans praise the soap star's dedication
As she showed off her workout, Waring captioned one post: "Yoga time," and in another, she spoke of the joy of new gym leggings as she prepared for a Sunday workout. Fans were impressed, with one writing: "Wow, you look stunning @stephwaring." Another said: "Always so much love and respect for you." A third wrote: "Outstanding!"
Weightlifting and perimenopause
Waring, who spoke of being perimenopausal in 2023, recently issued another post where she proclaimed she refused to give up just because of her stage in life and urged other women to adopt a similar mindset. She wrote on Instagram: "Post-menopause doesn’t mean you’re past it. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my abs, but 7 months of consistently lifting heavy and actually eating food no more restricting has made such a difference.
"I think so many women write themselves off once they hit menopause, but please don’t. We lose muscle quicker, things change, but that doesn’t mean we can’t build it back. I’m nowhere near finished yet."
Return to Hollyoaks
Waring first appeared in Hollyoaks in 1996 and, after a couple of breaks, had been on the programme full-time since 2008, but was left shocked when producers decided to axe her last year. However, after a U-turn, she was granted a return to the soap. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, she revealed why she had no hesitation about coming back, despite being dropped.
She said of her surprise over the news: "I was gobsmacked. I was taken out for lunch by Peter Hunt, our head of casting. I thought it was for a catchup cos we kept in touch since leaving."
"It came out of the blue. We were talking for about half an hour, and he said, 'Speaking of Hollyoaks, how would you feel if we asked you back?', and I honestly couldn't get my head around it."
"My gut said yes straight away, of course, and then he told me the storyline, and I just felt a bubble of excitement. This is Cindy 2010, you know what I mean? This is everything the fans have been waiting for."
Asked about her desire to return despite being axed, Waring explained: "I would never question being Cindy again. I didn't want to leave."
"I wasn't really on me. I love the show, and I love Cindy and the people. So when they did ask me it was absolutely yes, I had two years away but I would never give up the chance to be her again."
