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AE: That’s great. Do you feel like you have to work at it when you’re hosting Fit Club?
ANT: Well at Fit Club I act like a host so I’m not as flamboyant, I don’t crack as many jokes because I am there for a reason and that’s to be a traffic cop to the panel and the celebrities and I’m also the mother role. If something happens, I’m their shoulder to cry on. I take that responsibility really seriously. When I’m on The Tonight Show it’s no-holds-barred. I let it all hang out. When I was doing Steve Harvey, I was no-holds-barred. You have to pick and choose what your outlets are and behave accordingly. It’s kind of like when you’re going to a casual dinner or a black tie event-–you carry yourself differently. That’s the same thing I do.

AE: What about when you were on Last Comic Standing? Were you performing a character or being y yourself?
ANT: I was definitely playing a character, playing a villain.

AE: You got to be the evil queen of prime time.
ANT: I got to be the evil queen of primetime but that was by design. I really chose, set out to do that because I wanted to become famous from it. And really, I’m the only person--do you remember who won?

AE: Uh...
ANT: No. Right. I said then, America, five years from now you will not remember who won but you will all remember me. And look, it’s two years later and I’m the only one working in television. Everybody else has kind of disappeared.

AE: Do you think that’s because you were more TV ready?
ANT: I was more TV ready, I stood out, and I had a full-fledged, fleshed character. I made America experience feeling. Networks and TV execs respond to that. You can move people to a feeling, whether it’s a good one or a bad one or a different one, they want to hire you. Because you’re not blending into the background. That’s not a star; a star is someone who doesn’t blend. It’s someone who can evoke a passion whatever that happens to be.

AE: That would be good for the American Idol contestants to learn.
ANT: Some of them have. Clay Aiken makes American audiences [move]; he evokes a lot of emotion in people. As did Carrie Underwood and so did Bo Bice. Then you’ve got other people like Reuben Studdard, who won, who doesn’t evoke any emotion and look where he’s gone.

AE: Let’s talk about Fit Club. Do you ever worry about your weight while everyone is standing up there weighing in?
ANT: I lost 30 pounds doing the show. Really? The last thing, Diane, that I wanted to be was Caroline Rhea from The Biggest Loser who got fatter every week. So when Vh1 came to me and said, “Do you want to do the diet the celebrities are on?” I said, “Caroline Rhea yes!” I bumped into her on a red carpet and I said, “Caroline, what’s up with all the weight gain?” and she’s like, “Oh my god, ANT, I’m retaining all this water.” No, you’re retaining pizza and burritos.

AE: [Laughing.] So you’re eating Nutri-System and loving it?
ANT: More than love it. I just got back-–I have a house in Greece and I went for three weeks and I brought three weeks of Nutri-System with me. That’s how much I love it. I packed an extra suitcase of my diet food. Not because I wanted to stay on the diet but because I truly love the taste of the food.

AE: Wow, now Nutri-System’s going to be coming to you to become a spokesman.
ANT: Hopefully. But if they don’t I’ll still eat their stuff because I love it.

AE: What about working out? Are you on the same workout routine as the celebs?
ANT: I’m not on the same workout routine as them but I have my own trainer and I do an hour of cardiovascular every single day including Sunday. I’m down to 156 pounds.

AE: You do look very trim, very sexy on the show.
ANT: Thank you.

AE: Is it hard not to flirt with the guys on the show?
ANT: It was hard not to flirt with Willie Ames just because I used to have that poster of him shirtless, with the surfboard, and I’m in love with him. And even fat he’s kind of sexy. But Willie came up to me and he said, "you know what ANT, if I were to ever switch sides, you would be my boyfriend.” Oh my gosh, that’s so funny. And his wife blessed us. His wife was like, “You two would make a hot couple.”

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