WITH her stunning looks and toned physique, Maria Kanellis is not your stereotypical wrestler.
And with her debut album due for release in April, the Playboy cover girl turned WWE diva is busier than ever.
Maria, 27, is making her way from the US to Scotland for a series of live shows as part of the WWE Smackdown tour.
She and fellow grapplers will grace the ring at Braehead Arena, near Glasgow, on April 10.
But Maria is not the muscle woman you might expect of a wrestler. She refuses to lift heavy weights, for fear of becoming too bulky, and shuns fad diets and obsessive workouts.
She said: "It's all about moderation.
"Be careful not to overindulge yourself in anything, whether it's food or exercise. If you do too much exercise one day, then you're not going to want to get up and do it again the next day.
"I don't believe in resolutions. Once you say, "No, I can't have that," the only thing you're going to want to do is have it. If I'm going to have a glass of wine, I'll have one, but just one. And if I'm going to have chocolate, I'll have a little piece, rather than the whole bar."
Maria takes a healthy approach to exercise, hitting the gym whenever her hectic schedule allows but never obsessing over missing a day or two.
She said: "If you want to work out, don't become obsessive and make it your resolution. Just go to the gym when you can.
"I do about an hour of cardio as many days of the week as possible, so some weeks it's three days, the next it might be seven days.
"The point is, I go when I can. We're on the road so often that it's quite hard to keep a regimen."
During her workouts, she mixes cardio with weight-bearing exercises, like squats and lunges, as well as blasting her abs.
She also does yoga and, of course, weight training.
She said: "Everyone expects that I lift big weights but the truth is I don't do any heavy stuff.
"I build muscle so easily that if I did big weights, I'd be this big muscular woman, and I really don't want to look like that!
"A lot of wrestler girls are about my size. We're glamorous women from different backgrounds, some of us are models, others teachers.
"We do have stylists to help, but I prefer to do my own hair and make-up. I find this relaxes me before a show."
She's proud to admit she's a girl who loves her food and she enjoys a varied diet, incluuding carbohydrates, fats, dairy products,and fruit and veg.
She said: "I drink full-calorie Coke, and even biscuits, sausages and eggs from time to time.
"I'm definitely not the strict chicken and veg girl that people might expect me to be."
When it comes to exercise the best motivation, she reckons, is to pick a form of exercise you love, whether that be walking, cycling, sweating it out in the gym, or simply choosing the right music to keep you company on your run. She said: "Find something to truly motivate you.
"There's just no point in running if you really hate it.
"Choose the right gym. "Is it right for you? Are the instructors friendly and approachable? "Poser gyms can really put a lot of people off.
"Do the TV screens keep you from getting bored? Is the music good, or can you bring your iPod? "There are so many factors that can make the difference between hating and loving your workout.
"Do what you like. If you like walking, walk. If you like cycling, cycle.
"My mum lost 30 lb for my brother's wedding just by walking and eating the right things and her life has changed for the better.
"It's also incredibly important to listen to your body.
After a hard workout, you need to allow your muscles to recover, so go easy the following day, advises Maria.
"You also need to stretch off to release any lactic acid build up and in turn, to release the pain. "Another great thing to do is to eat bananas.
"I find that these really do help my recovery and they're also great for women's cramps."
More and more women are getting into wrestling as glamorous icons like Maria and fellow WWE girl Kelly Kelly is also coming into the limelight.
Maria watched wrestling as a kid and loved Hulk Hogan and The Rock.
But the person who really inspired her and got her hooked was top female wrestler Trish Stratus.
"She was fearless," said Maria. "She really changed the face and perception of women's wrestling.
"Seeing her inspired me to enter a competition for women's wrestling at the age of 22, and when I came fifth I was over the moon.
"I kept plugging away until I got better and finally found myself here at the top. It's bee hard work to get where I am but the rewards have been great."
A talented singer, Maria hopes to release her debut album Seven Sins on April 13 on iTunes.
In the meantime she's concentrating on wrestling and you can catch her live at Braehead Arena on April 10 for the WWESmackdown.
