Celebrity performance eating sees A-list actresses and models bang on about their favourite fattening foods - and the only rule is that you have to be really skinny to play. Models with jutting hip bones and angular shoulders sculpt their public image by detailing their favourite guilty pleasures. In a hackneyed effort to appear relatable, they list their treats with the relish of someone who hasn't truly indulged in a long while.

Actress Lea Michele (otherwise known as Rachel from Glee) revealed just how false the pretence is when she misplayed her hand at performance eating. She started by admitting that her "guilty pleasure used to be cheese" but then went on to list other treats. "I'm obsessed with Smart Water. I drink it all day long," she told StyleList. Bet she feels really guilty after guzzling on that.

Performance eating? Lea Michele.

To become a top actress or model you have to make a lot of sacrifices and, unfortunately for our notion of a healthy body image, one of those is decent portions of food. Although there are some people who will never naturally get above a size zero, no matter how much they gorge, the majority of extremely skinny celebrities have to work very hard at that image. Those slim models may not be anorexic but they certainly deny themselves a lot of high-calorie foods, and so talking about treats only hides the amount of effort it takes to look like the women in magazines.

But even if an ultra-slim actress is one of those magical creatures who never gains weight, the entire notion of "guilty pleasures" is problematic. For most people, a glass of wine and a pudding isn't a reason to feel guilty – it's just dinner. Women are supposed to eat 2,000 calories a day (men can eat 2,500) and there's plenty of room for full-fat servings in that allowance.