Australian fitness star Kayla Itsines reveals she couldn’t live without tomatoes

Multi-millionaire fitness star Kayla Itsines has declared she ‘could not live’ with tomatoes – and her love is inspired by a heartwarming childhood experience.

The 30-year-old trainer, who is known for her washboard abs, took to Instagram on Monday to gush about her obsession, saying her ‘last meal’ would be a simple affair of tomatoes and burrata cheese on toast.

The co-founder of world famous exercise app SWEAT, who is worth an estimated $209million (AUD), developed a love of fresh food after growing up watching her grandfather plant fruit and vegetables in the garden of his Adelaide home.

‘Someone asked me not long ago what I would want my last meal to be and I literally said tomatoes and burrata on toast,’ she wrote.

The 30-year-old trainer (right, with daughter Arna) took to Instagram on Monday to gush about her obsession, saying her ‘last meal’ would be a simple affair of tomatoes and burrata (left)

‘I feel like that sounds very simple and boring but that is absolutely what I would eat every day if I could. My grandparents grow some themselves and there’s nothing better than fresh tomatoes, straight from the garden!’

The mother-of-one has always been vocal about instilling values from her Greek heritage in her two-year-old daughter, Arna Leia, who she shares with ex fiancé and business partner, Tobi Pearce.

‘[My grandfather] used to (actually…still does) drag me into the garden every time I’m over to show me how different fruit and veggies grow in different seasons,’ she wrote in an Instagram post last week.

The co-founder of world famous exercise app SWEAT (left) developed a love of fresh food after growing up watching her grandfather (right) plant vegetables in the garden of his Adelaide home

Kayla (pictured) says her upbringing gave her a deep appreciation of food

‘It wasn’t exactly my idea of a “good time” growing up and I NEVER thought I’d actually care enough to grow my own produce in my own veggie garden, but now I realise that he was always just trying to demonstrate to me that food is so precious.’

Watching food go from garden to dinner table made Kayla appreciate ‘everything she ate’ and she hopes her little girl will feel the same. 

‘Now I get to teach Arna about the Itsines food philosophy that we’ve all shared for so many generations,’ she said.

Kayla was spotted last week doting on her adorable tot on an afternoon stroll in Malvern, Adelaide, with her new boyfriend, Jae Woodroffe.

She looked like she was on cloud nine just a week after making the AFR’s 2021 Young Rich List with a net worth of $164million.

Kayla was spotted last week doting on her adorable tot on an afternoon stroll in Malvern, Adelaide, with her new boyfriend, Jae Woodroffe 

Ex-partners: Kayla and Tobi (left) launched Sweat – formerly Bikini Body Guides – in 2015 as an e-book, before the company grew into an app-based online community with more than 50 million users worldwide. They ended their engagement in 2020, but continue to work together 

The recent sale of her company SWEAT to US software giant iFIT propelled her net worth enough to place her 39th on this year’s Young Rich List, just one spot ahead of her business partner – and former fiancé – Tobi, who has a similar fortune.

The annual list, compiled by the Australian Financial Review, ranks the wealthiest Australians aged 40 and under.

Kayla and Tobi launched Sweat – formerly known as Bikini Body Guides – in 2015 as an e-book, before the company grew into an app-based online community with more than 50 million users worldwide.

The couple ended their engagement in 2020, but continue to work together.

Kayla went on to briefly date a man named Mitch before starting a relationship with Jae – who is the ex-boyfriend of one of her friends – earlier this year.