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In less than flattering terms, she once described herself as having a ‘great big zonking bottom’.

But it appears that Emma Thompson’s behind is, well, very much behind her the double Oscar-winning actress dropped two dress sizes in six weeks thanks to Kate Middleton’s personal trainer.

The 57-year-old thespian has embarked on an ‘anti-diet diet’ – involving no fad foods such as chia seeds, kale and gluten free items – with the help of the Duchess of Cambridge’s dietitian, Louise Parker.

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Downsizing: Emma Thompson, pictured last May, has dropped two dress sizes in six weeks 

Costing £4,500 for a six week intensive course, which sees clients training six times a week for 90 minutes at a time, Miss Thompson lost around 8kg, going from a size 14 (US 10) to 10 (US 6).

Unlike many clean eating regimes du jour, the petite mother-of-three trainer’s method includes bacon sandwiches, cheese, steak burgers and - in the particular case of her Hollywood devotee - even the odd glass of picpoul de pinet.

In the foreword to her healthy eating tome, The Louise Parker Method: Lean For Life: The Cookbook, the Love Actually star writes: ‘Louise is the only one out there I trust - she’s not holier than thou, yet somehow miraculously gets my reluctant arse into gear and sometimes even keeps it there.

‘I love that her method is NOT a diet - and is genuinely sustainable - so I can have my glass of wine and manage to avoid spending the rest of the week eating cheesy Wotsits. 

Success story: The Duchess of Cambridge, pictured last August, worked with Miss Parker after the birth of Prince George in 2013

‘She toughens me up without driving me round the bend with kale juice and the more depressing style of sprout. She just gets it. We all use her, because she’s discreet and funny and that’s really important.’

In addition to daily resistance workouts - alternating weights with more graceful, balletic moves – Miss Parker, who worked with the Duchess of Cambridge following the birth of Prince George in 2013, prescribed a bespoke nutritional dietary plan for the actress.

She was also weighed weekly using bioelectrical impedance scales which measure body fat and muscle.

Under four key ‘pillars’ – well-being and sleep, diet, intelligent exercise and mental positivity – the fitness guru, who goes by the moniker the ‘fitness magician’, is on call around-the-clock for her VIP devotees.

Slimline: Thompson showed off her slender physique in a slim-fitting pantsuit at the Bridget Jones's Baby premiere in September

Through a calorie controlled diet, Miss Thompson was instructed to have three meals a day all containing protein, low GI (glycaemic index) carbohydrates and a small amount of healthy fat, plus two snacks. The pair spoke daily, and Miss Parker was on-tap for any dietary advice when her famous client attended all alcohol-rife showbusiness events.

As a backlash against today’s clean-eating obsessed self-professed health gurus, the diet, called The Method, is entirely fad-free.

Miss Parker says: ‘Basically I’m on a mission to top people being organically overweight; that is, eating gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, paleo-friendly, chia seed-this and cacao-that things, thinking they’re doing all the right things. Instead, they’re simply getting fatter, and it’s madness.

Working at it:  The star wrote about how she maintains her stunning figure

‘Sleep is a crucial element of The Method, as is a digital detox at night. Kindles and mobiles are out, and instead we encourage people to read good, old-fashioned books in bed. It’s all boringly simple really, but very do-able.

‘Emma is fabulous, really brilliant and great fun.

‘She’s a poster girl for The Method, really, because she works damn hard and is consistent and committed. But she also has a life, and is hilarious.’

Speaking about her own body issues, in 2009 Miss Thompson spoke of her ‘great big zonking bottom’, adding; ‘I [run] almost every day, partly because I want to drink wine and eat what I bloody well want, but, because around 40, everything changes.’ 

Daily routine: The actress says she runs daily as 'everything changes' when you turn 40'