Actress Gemma Atkinson talks to MOTO

Posted by Ray | 20 January 2012 | Comment

Many of you will recognise the name Gemma Atkinson, she was the cheeky one out of Hollyoaks back in the day and once a lads mag favourite with FHM and Loaded, normally photographed looking stunning in bikini or lingerie.

How times have changed for motocross loving Gemma, now a film actress with roles in How to Stop Being a Loser, and her new film Airborne (trailer below), you can also find Gemma’s acting career CV on Gemma’s IMDb page.

We managed catch up with the Manchester based British actress inbetween her busy schedule and talk about her love of off-road and her new projects in 2012.

MOTO – How did your love of motocross come about? Was it a family thing or just something you picked up on?

“I first got into Motocross well Speedway first of all age 7 as my Dad used to take me to watch the Bell Vue Aces. I loved it from my first visit. I loved the loud noise and fast pace of it all. When I started work on Hollyoaks I didn’t have time to continue going. Fortunately though, my sister married Rob, a great guy who is huge on Motocross and regularly rides himself so I’ve gradually got back into it.”

MOTO – Do you own your own bike and how often do you get out to ride?

“I don’t have a bike but we have Yamaha Raptor Quad. Its 350cc and as we live out in the country near lots of fields and tracks we usually get to ride it often which is great fun. Although due to me working away a lot I seem to be getting less and less time on it.”

MOTO – Have you attended any big UK motocross events recently?

“The last event I went too was at Birmingham NEC. I saw the Red Bull KTM Team performing all the jumps and they were amazing!”

MOTO – Being an actress and reading your tweets you seem to spend a lot of time in the gym, what does your daily training schedule involve?

“I train 6 days a week, not just to look good but to feel good from the inside too. I always feel better after a morning workout. I mix my training up with Kickboxing, Cycling, Body Pump classes or just regular weight training and running. If I’m away working I take my kettle bell and skipping rope to train in my hotel room. I try to do 1hr sessions, although sometimes a 30 min run is just as good. I also make sure I eat lots of protein and veg with good carbohydrates such as rice and potatoes.”

MOTO – Riding motocross or off-road takes a lot of core strength…do you ache the next day after you’ve ridden a practice track? And how much different is it to when your in the gym?

“The only place I ache after being on the quad is my forearms. Obviously its very heavy on 4 wheels and my arms take most of the weight in trying to keep it under control.”

MOTO – Whats next for Gemma, you had a short stint in Casualty and your new film project is a remake of the Classic “Night of the Living Dead” when is that out?

“My new horror movie Night Of The Living 3D Dead is out in October, its a remake of the original and I play Barbara. I have a thriller called Airborne out in spring 2012 which I also co produced as well as acted in. My comedy How To Stop Being A Loser is on DVD now and I may be returning to Casualty in the new year. Its a been a busy year but I’ve loved it!”

MOTO – Many thanks for this Gemma and have fun on the bike and ride safe…oh and don’t forget our tickets for the “Night of the Living 3D Dead” premiere.