Cynthia Erivo is not just a Tony winner for her amazing work as Celie in the The Color Purple on Broadway, a woman with a serious set of vocal pipes, and just an all-around badass. As it turns out, on top of being all of those incredible things, she’s also a self-proclaimed (and proven) “fitness fiend.” If you follow the Brit on Instagram you will find images of her running marathons, doing intense strength training, and defining the hell out of her amazing arms and abs. She’s pretty much a beast in all facets of life.
So how does Erivo, busy with a full plate of performances, TV appearances and photo shoots, manage to make time for healthy living? She talked about it in the July issue of Cosmopolitan, citing a genuine love of being fit and the support of The Color Purple co-star Danielle Brooks and former co-star Jennifer Hudson as motivating factors.
“Every time I come offstage and people are like, ‘You guys seem like you’re so together,’ it’s because we are,” Erivo told the magazine about their bond. “We do things together all the time. Earlier, Jen [Hudson] texted me, ‘I’m thinking of you today…’ I think I’m going to [Hudson’s son] little David’s school tomorrow. And we’re always talking about healthy eating. Danielle [Brooks] and Jennifer — we’re all of the same mind-set of trying to be healthy.”
As for her exercise habits, which she makes time for, at the least, two to three times a week, keeping it right and tight is something she started taking seriously in her late teens. And the fact that her boyfriend is also about staying healthy and fit helps too.
“I became a fitness fiend when I was about 17 or 18, ” she said. “When I was 23, I met my other half [Dean John-Wilson, star of Aladdin on London’s West End], and he’s also a fitness fiend. I love that I can demonstrate that it’s OK to look and be strong. I had a dance instructor who used to say that you should stay fit for the job, not let the job make you fit. I’ve always been of that philosophy. If your body is working correctly and then you get a cold or something, that cold probably won’t knock you out as hard as it would have if you weren’t healthy. Keep yourself fit and you’ll be able to do the job.”
And one job she hopes to do down the line is play an equally fit beauty: Serena Williams. As she told MadameNoire back in November,”I’m a fit fanatic. I don’t know if you can tell, but I feel like she’s such an interesting character in that she’s got such power and prowess on the court and off she’s just this wonderful, sultry, kind, and light and airy being. I love that sort of flip that she has and her story’s brilliant. Her story’s incredible, and it’s a story of real hard work and I think it would be wonderful to see it. I would love to play that role.”
As you can see, all of Erivo’s hard work is paying off like gangbusters. Check out a few videos of the talented star training and maintaining her exceptional physique below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE3vi5nhVdO/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEcFjXAhVdT/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEOoOV2hVQG/
