Donald Trump’s ex-wife Ivana Trump on her good genes and the President’s weight gain

IVANA Trump was married to Donald Trump in the 80s and has given an insight into the President’s unusual eating habits.

IVANA Trump wants to make America svelte again.

The ex-wife of President Donald Trump is partnering up with Italian diet guru Gianluca Mech, aka the “Richard Simmons of Italy,” to battle America’s obesity epidemic.

Mech is launching his Italiano Diet — a range of specially formulated pastas, pizzas, cookies and other treats that are low in carbs and high in fibre — in the US.

He and Ivana are embarking on a tour of America’s fattest cities, where they’ll visit hospitals and community centres to lecture about healthy eating and hand out Mech’s products.

Although she’s passionate about the project, Ivana says she’s never struggled with the battle of the bulge herself.

“I was always very disciplined — I didn’t gain weight my whole life,” the 69-year-old said.

That doesn’t mean the former competitive skier doesn’t have the occasional guilty pleasure. Ivana appeared in ads for Pizza Hut and KFC and loves the latter.

“I dream of it,” she says. “I have it once a year, and I’ll have it and won’t eat anything for two days.”

She also enjoys the occasional frankfurt.

“There’s a street vendor on my block and I get a hot dog once a month — no bread,” she says. “It’s New York — live and let live.”

Donald Trump, Ivana Trump, Mary Trump and Fred Trump pictured in 1987. Picture: Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)

Donald and Ivana Trump in the 80s.

Ivana Trump and Donald Trump at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament in 1988. Picture: PL Gould/IMAGES/Getty Images

Her fast-food-loving ex doesn’t have the same discipline, despite her nagging.

“I can tell him 100 times, but he does what he wants anyway,” says Ivana, who says she saw the Donald’s weight creep up over the years from about 178 to 225 pounds (80kg - 102kg). Still, she says he’s not in bad shape.

“He looks very, very good and is very healthy — his only weakness is the Big Mac, what can I tell you?”

Ivana Trump pictured in 2015. Picture: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for DuJour

Ivana notes that their offspring are also in fine form.

“None of my kids are obese — they’re all tall and slim and handsome and smart. And the grandkids are exactly the same — good genes.”

She has a harsh message for parents struggling with their weight.

“If you are an obese parent, I guarantee your child will be obese,” says Ivana, who says she had little time to cook for her children when they were young because she was running Atlantic City casinos and the Plaza. “If you’re a lazy person, it’s much harder — you have to be committed to a certain regimen and stick to it.”

She first met Mech, 48, a few years ago through mutual friends, and they instantly clicked.

“I love Italians — they are bad boys. They love to eat, but they eat well,” she says. “I was married to two Italians and dated many.” (Ivana has had four husbands.)

But, she was initially sceptical about working together.

“I said, ‘How can I be spokesperson for obesity? I’m slim,’” she says. “Who wants to walk around with 300 extra pounds [136kg]? It’s not healthy — you are lazy, you’re glued to the television.”

But, she fell in love with Mech’s products, especially the praline cookies, which she’d have shipped over from Italy to serve at parties.

“I leave them all around the house,” she says. “It tastes exactly the same as a praline, except it’s 60 calories versus 400 calories.”

Ivana Trump at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. Picture: Clemens Bilan/Getty Images

Mech’s products use artificial sweeteners such as polydextrose and erythrol, and pea and soy protein are also common ingredients.

In Italy, his program is known as La Dieta Tisanoreica, and many items contain a proprietary blend of various fruit extracts and herbs, including griffonia seeds, which Mech calls his “secret weapon” for their purported fat-fighting, mood-boosting properties.

Items can be purchased individually, or dieters can sign up for a program of four meals a day for $US20.

The program has been popular in Italy for years, and Mech says Silvio Berlusconi lost 10 pounds in a week on it. He’s confident that with Ivana’s help, it will be successful here.

“When she was married to Donald Trump, she helped him build one of the biggest companies in the world — I know she will do the same with the Italiano Diet,” he says. “She has more energy than a Maserati.”

This article originally appeared on The New York Post.