Natasha Hamilton showed off her incredible figure in a plunging swimsuit as she posed on the beach in Rio de Janeiro this week.

The former Atomic Kitten star, 42, penned a message of body acceptance in the caption as she said she struggled with looking in the mirror after turning 40.

She looked great in the brown one piece as she frolicked on the beach and told how she wanted to worry less about her appearance.

Natasha penned in the caption: ‘Something I learned while in Rio – body acceptance and confidence are truly abundant there!

‘Life revolves around the beach, and what a life it is. Women of all shapes and sizes wear stunning, tiny ʙικιɴιs, unapologetically showing off their bodies and carrying themselves with the kind of confidence we all deserve to feel.

‘Hitting my 40s has been tough. I had a baby, was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, and now I’m in full swing of perimenopause. Honestly, I haven’t felt like myself for a while now.

Natasha Hamilton showed off her incredible figure in a plunging swimsuit as she posed on the beach in Rio de Janeiro this week

The former Atomic Kitten star, 42, penned a message of body acceptance in the caption as she said she struggled with looking in the mirror after turning 40

‘My body has changed so much – it’s dropped, softened, and shifted. There are more wrinkles, less elasticity, cellulite, dimples, thread veins…the list goes on. Aging and the changes it brings can be a hard pill to swallow.

‘I’ve avoided looking at my body in the mirror because, truthfully, I’ve not wanted to see the new me. 

‘But that stops now! I’m promising myself to embrace and love every version of me – the super-fit me, the older me, and the future me still to come. I’m tired of wasting so much mental energy worrying about my appearance. If I want to make changes or get fitter, I can. But for now, I just want to live in the moment.

‘Life is unpredictable, and I don’t want to look back at 50 wondering why I wasted so much time worrying about how I looked. 

‘People will always judge. There will always be someone with something cruel to say about your appearance. That’s just life. But while we can’t stop the world, we can stop and show ourselves the respect and love we need to feel confident in our bodies and see the beauty within.

‘This is for anyone dreading their next holiday, worrying about putting their body on show because it’s not what it used to be. Guess what? It’s not supposed to be! We age, we evolve, and we grow into more mature versions of ourselves. I’m slowly learning to accept those changes.

‘I ran down that beach with no cover-up, feeling a bit self-conscious but also thinking, ‘F%k it!’ You can look at my jiggly bum if you want to. My husband thinks it’s lovely, and that’s good enough for me.’

She looked great in the brown one piece as she frolicked on the beach and told how she wanted to worry less about her appearance

She penned in the caption: ‘I’ve avoided looking at my body in the mirror because, truthfully, I’ve not wanted to see the new me. But that stops now!’

She added: ‘Life is unpredictable, and I don’t want to look back at 50 wondering why I wasted so much time worrying about how I looked’

Over the years Natasha has been fairly transparent over what she has had done to her face, admitting to Botox, lip filler and laser treatment 

Over the years Natasha has been fairly transparent over what she has had done to her face, admitting to Botox, lip filler and laser treatment.

Read More Natasha Hamilton’s changing face over the years: Inside the Atomic Kitten star’s jaw-dropping transformation as fans struggle to recognise her

In a recent picture she shared on Instagram, the star’s changed appearance caught the attention from her fans as some admitted they couldn’t even recognise her. 

According to cosmetic expert Dr Ross Perry of skin clinics chain Cosmedics, Natasha appears to have undergone multiple different treatments – some which she hasn’t admitted too.

Dr Perry said: ‘It looks as though Natasha has had dermal fillers to her cheeks and lip areas to create the more fuller effect that we can see in the latest images. 

‘It also looks like she potentially has had what’s called a lip lift, where the upper part of the lip area is lifted up by removing a small amount of skin under the nose. 

‘Potentially some rhinoplasty too where the bridge of the nose has been trimmed, as well as the tip of the nose, and possibly some eyelid surgery to help remove some of the eyelid heaviness. 

‘There is also the use of eyebrow tattooing and most likely Botox as well, to create a smooth complexion.’