Julianne Hough reveals her beauty obsession

Julianne Hough was "killing" herself trying to achieve what she considered to be the perfect body.

The 28-year-old dancer and actress has admitted her misplaced desire to look perfect led her to take things too far.

She shared: "I love my shape because I feel strong and fit, and that makes me feel confident. When I look at pictures of myself when I was 19, my body was bangin’, but I was killing myself.

"I was working out two and a half hours a day and eating the bare minimum to survive.

"I was so miserable. I wasn’t healthy. To be honest, I looked like a kid. Now I’m embracing the fact that I’m a woman with curves."

But while the blonde beauty has toned down her obsession with her appearance, she still takes pride in looking good and tries to live a healthy lifestyle.

She told Shape magazine: "I love going to classes with my girlfriends. We’ll call each other or send a group text and organise. Sometimes we sign up for Spartan races and have a blast.

"Last fall we took a girls’ trip to Mexico … rather than drink tequila shots and get crazy, we turned it into a healthy trip. Every morning, we got up and I taught an hour long mix of Tracy Anderson, Body by Simone, and yoga moves.

"Then we’d put on our swimsuits and go to the beach or the pool. Don’t get me wrong: We definitely enjoyed cocktails and chips and salsa while we were there, but after our daily workouts we always felt much better about ourselves."

And when she is not on holiday, Julianne works out frequently.

She explained: "I exercise three to six times a week, but usually I do five days of hard-core training.

"On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I do Tracy Anderson or Body by Simone or I work out with my trainer, Astrid Swan. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I do Core Power Yoga, which I love."