Tyra Banks is on a mission to fight 'fat-talk' and boost body-shape self-esteem… just don't hold up celebrities as role models - EXCLUSIVE

She's one of the most beautiful women in the world, who's always been vocal about her fluctuating weight.

And now Tyra Banks is speaking out against 'fat-talk', trying to boost young people's self-esteem in a new project with Special K.

The America's Next Top Model host exclusively told Yahoo that she wants to encourage girls to think differently about themselves and ditch the negativity.

Tyra also admits that she'd love the entertainment industry to change its perceptions of what is 'beautiful', but doesn't think that famous women should feel a responsibility to become role models.

She told us: "A lot of women actually say awful, horrible, hurtful things to themselves. People tell themselves that they hate the way they look and feel disgusting when they look in the mirror. It's so detrimental to their self-esteem and self-worth."

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The 40-year-old star has decided to take action against the negativity surrounding body-image and wants people to take a new approach to weight loss.

She said: "I just really want to be in on this, with Special K, to fight fat talk and to try and spin it so that people's attitudes to managing their weight."

But while she's been in the public eye for most of her adult life, Tyra doesn't think that famous women should feel like they *have* to become role models.

She told us: "I don't think that people in the public eye have a responsibility to be role models, although some of them choose to be role models.

"But role models don't necessarily have to be people who sing, or act in a movie. These people went into the industry to be an artist or to perform, not to be a role model to someone's children.

"Some people make that choice to become a role model but it's not their responsibility."

Tyra thinks that the media can still project a negative image of what women should look like, but admits that some things are shifting, citing Girls star Lena Dunham as a positive influence.

She said: "One way that Lena Dunham wins is that she has these sex scenes on her show and she shows that different types of bodies are sexy. She's sexy because she's having sex. It's powerful.

"It takes time – it takes years – to changes people's perceptions of what's beautiful. Body shapes go in and out of fashion. The bad thing is that right now we're in a very dangerous place."

Tyra admits that she tries to live her life in a healthy way, and sticks to a 'life plan of eating' rather than any kind of diet.

She told us: "For me, I call it a life plan of eating rather than a diet. I don't cut out anything – I don't cut out carbs. I'm all about mixing in everything."

Tyra added: "I eat frozen dinners sometimes that have carbs in, and I love burritos. I still enjoy myself and enjoy carbs. It's not about cutting things out, it's about sticking to your own eating plan.

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"If you can afford a nutritionist then that's great but if not there are so many magazines and fitness plans online."

Tyra is busy working on the next series of America's Next Top Model, one of the most successful shows in the US, which seems to be going from strength to strength.

"I'm not surprised by its success any more," she said. "The first, maybe 15 cycles, I was like 'what the hell is going on, this is weird.' It's one of the longest-running TV shows. It feels good to be have broken ground and do something that no one's done before."

"The end date is with the viewer – when they are tired of it, we'll stop making it."