Diana’s former personal trainer reveals princess never wanted to split from Charles

Princess Diana’s former personal trainer has revealed how workouts helped the royal overcome her eating disorder and deal with the heartache of her separation from Prince Charles that was ‘sprung upon her’. 

Jenni Rivett, who trained Diana at The Harbour Club in Chelsea for several years from 1991, revealed how the positive feelings the late royal achieved from working out helped her to cope with the most difficult periods of her life.

Speaking to Yahoo News’ series The Royal Box the London-based South African celebrity trainer explained that their work together motivated Diana, who had suffered from bulimia, not to fall back into old patterns. 

But even after tackling her eating disorder the challenges were no means over for Diana, as she battled with constant public scrutiny and her separation from Charles, which the princess did not want.

‘Given the choice she would have stayed and tried to make a happy marriage. She loved Charles,’ Jenni explained. 

Princess Diana leaving the Chelsea Harbour Club in London in November 1995 where she worked out with her personal trainer Jenni Rivett

Speaking to Yahoo News’ series The Royal Box, London-based South African celebrity trainer Jenni Rivett revealed how her sessions with Diana helped the royal overcome her eating disorder and cope with her personal struggles 

Jenni started training the princess after her services were recommended to Diana by a mutual friend, and said that the ‘disciplined’ royal quickly became ‘incredibly dedicated’ to their three workout sessions a week. 

Jenni and Diana even holidayed together in Vail, Colorado at the trainer’s suggestion when the Princess was upset over not spending Christmas with William and Harry for the first time after her split from Charles. 

And while Jenni was careful to maintain professional boundaries, the time she spent with the royal meant she was privvy to her struggles – especially over her marriage breakdown. 

‘She married for the right reasons. She married for love,’ Jenni said. ‘It wasn’t her that asked for all of this. It was sprung upon her. She wasn’t the one that wanted to separate or have a divorce.’

Princess Diana and her husband Prince Charles on a royal tour of Indonesia in November 1989. By this time their marriage was in trouble and Charles had resumed his affair with his ex-girlfriend Camilla Parker Bowles 

It had got to a point where it had to beocme a mutual decision. I think it was both of their calls, but it wasn’t what she wanted. 

‘She wanted to be the Princess of Wales and the Queen of people’s hearts. She wanted to be a loving mother, which she was, and a loving wife.’

Jenni added that the loss of Diana’s HRH title was a particularly sore spot for the princess.  

‘I think she just felt hurt, as you would.  It was just one thing after another. 

‘She had to be such an ambassador for Britain and everyone adored her and loved her and she was still the mother of the future king. Why should she lose her title?’

When Jenni and Diana started working together in 1991, the princess informed her trained that she’d battled with bulimia.

Princess Diana with William and Harry in 1995 at the VJ Day 50th Anniversary Celebrations in London, a year before she divorced from Prince Charles. According to her personal trainer, Diana didn’t want the marriage to end and wanted to remain a ‘loving wife and mother’

‘Actually she had such an incredible sense of humour. The way that was brought up was with a joke. She was just trying to make light of it,’ she said.

Her sessions with Jenni soon became a key part of her ongoing recovery, according to the trainer.

‘When you train with someone and they start to feel that strength going through their muscles it is so empowering and it just helped so much to make you not want to go that direction again,’ Jenni explained.

In the latter years, the last four or five years it was completely a thing of the past 

It was all the more important for Diana to have an outlet as she had so many ongoing difficulties to face.  

‘The challenge was that she was the Princess of Wales,’ Jenni said. ‘There was a lot of stuff in her life. The way we got through it was for her to turn up and just keep that discipline. 

‘She knew after every session she would feel amazing. It would help her to continue to better herself and feel more and more empowered and make the eating disorder a thing of the past. 

‘She liked to have a bit of a laugh when she trained and obviously there were days when she was having a really bad day, and I’d be a little bit lenient on her and not boss her around too much. 

‘She used to feel so great afterward and the aesthetics are just a bonus.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk