Zoe Lucker on shunning the super-skinny life, internet sex and finally meeting Mr Right

Grinning broadly and giving that famous throaty laugh, Zoe Lucker can barely contain her joy.

As she slips into a size 10 sequinned gown for her exclusive Sunday shoot, Zoe is toned, tanned and confident.

At 5ft 6in, curvaceous Zoe has a fabulous figure. But reflecting on the celebrity pressure to be thin brings back uncomfortable memories for the newly-auburn TV star. In her early 20s, she was obsessed with cutting fat from her diet and became too thin, weighing around 8st.

"I was obsessed with diet," she recalls. "I'd eat very high carb food, which didn't give me enough fat. My eyes and skin were affected by it and my mood changed.

"I was definitely not as chilled out as I am now.

"I'm going to be 33 next month and, as you get older, you look gaunt if you are too thin. I take a lot of vitamins and I'm quite a healthy eater. I've been to the gym twice in my life but I love walking so I walk as much as I can.

"When I eat stodgy food, it makes me feel tired, even itchy. Nowadays, for breakfast, I eat cereal or bacon, chicken and salad for lunch, and I love pasta at dinner. I'm not into snacking.

"I worry about the size 0 issue because I can only assume these girls are spending every waking moment thinking about what they are putting into their mouths.

"If teenage girls are not feeding themselves, they're not feeding their brains, which is so important at that age."

Slimming aside, Zoe thinks she may have finally found her perfect man - and she's never been happier.

After a divorce and a string of failed relationships, the former Footballers' Wives star says she has met the man she'll settle down and have kids with.

"I feel very, very happy at the moment," she grins. "Everything is going as I want it to. I don't think I've ever been happier. It's true I have a man in my life and I think he could be The One.

"I'm not going to go into any details because it's early stages and I don't want to jinx things -I've talked about my love life in the past and regretted it. But he's in showbiz and he's fantastic."

Zoe, who was briefly married to estate agent Richard Forshaw in 2000, is reluctant to reveal her lover's name. But he has all the attributes of her ideal man.

She smiles: "He's loyal, caring, funny and affectionate. Good looks are important too. I like dark hair and eyes and smiley faces."

Zoe's exes include DJ Tom Thorpe and children's TV presenter Tony Craig. Despite rumours, she's repeatedly denied a relationship with DJ Chris Evans.

"I've had relationships in the past where I haven't got on with a person, but you can end up staying for reasons you can't explain," she admits. "You look back and think, 'What was going on there?'

"When I was younger, I was quite high-maintenance, but as you get older, it feels right that two people spend time together and enjoy each other's company. I don't see any point in a relationship if you're not having a laugh and they're not your best mate."

Now she's no longer obsessed with her weight, Zoe is focusing on other things - and becoming a mum is very high on her agenda.

"I've always wanted children," she says. "I'll still have to work - I've got a mortgage like everyone else - but I'd like to spend as much time as possible at home during the baby's first couple of years. Hiring a nanny and going straight back to work isn't me at all."

The second of four children, Zoe's childhood in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, was idyllic.

"I love our family Christmases and Sunday lunches and that's what I want for my kids," she says.

And her desire for children is so great that she wouldn't rule out having a baby on her own.

"If you get into your late 30s or early 40s and haven't met the right person, going it alone is an option," insists Zoe. "I have a lot of friends who are single parents and have done a fantastic job of raising their children."

Zoe has had an image overhaul for her latest role as a kind-hearted copper's wife in Holby Blue, a new spin-off from hospital drama Holby City to be screened later this year

And while she misses Tanya Turner, her Footballers' Wives character, and can't bear to think of her as dead, Zoe does have one regret about the show.

Video grabs of her many "sex scenes" can now be found on websites. And taken out of context, she says some of them, including the infamous mile-high incident with Conrad, look like internet porn.

"When friends say, 'Have a look at these pictures', I'm mortified," admits Zoe. "It looks so full on and they make me uncomfortable. It was only acting after all. My friends think it's hilarious but I don't like the idea of kids my godchildren's age possibly seeing these images.

"When you act, there's a storyline and you are playing a character, so it's obviously different from doing it yourself.

"I'm not sexually adventurous like Tanya. I would never think about sex on a plane. It's a bit disrespectful to everybody else trying to use the bathroom!"

Two years ago, while filming the TV series Bombshell (which has yet to be screened in the UK), Zoe started suffering panic attacks.

This is the first time she's spoken about the stress that sparked them.

"My god-daughter, Molly, was going in for a big op," says Zoe. "She was five and had to have a cyst removed from her forehead because it could have affected her brain.

"I was trying to pretend to her mum, my best friend Sally, that everything was going to be OK. But there was a panic going on. It was very stressful and at the same time I was working very long hours doing Bombshell. That was when the panic attacks started.

"Molly was supposed to be in intensive care for two weeks but she was home in two days. She's perfect now - and my panic attacks are a thing of the past."

Zoe's face lights up when talking about Molly, her other godchildren and her nephew and niece. It's clear what a devoted mum she'll make - and she can't wait to fulfil her wish.

"I can work very hard and have fantastic friends but a baby is what I've always wanted," she smiles.