Actress Jessica Alba arrives at The Huffington Post Pre-Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC January 19, 2009.

Jessica Alba has revealed the secret behind her post-pregnancy figure - she wore a girdle.

The 'Sin City' star - who gave birth to her daughter Honor Marie last June - has admitted her trim body has little to do with hours spent at the gym.

She said: "I wore a girdle. Eight weeks after my girlfriend had her baby, you could see her six-pack. She told me to put an elastic band around my waist - any kind of band or girdle works. I didn't recover as fast as she did. I don't have a six-pack - that's just not my body at all."

Jessica - who married her husband Cash Warren in a secret ceremony last May - hated working out after having Honor Marie, and refuses to return to the gym.

She said: "The workouts were horrible - I cried. And I haven't worked out since."

In fact, Jessica claims the easiest part of having her daughter was the labour itself.

She added to Elle magazine: "Contractions aren't that bad. If you've ever had bad cramps? That's what they're like. But that moment when they put the baby on your chest - that's deep. It's a deep experience."

The 27-year-old actress finds it so difficult to be away from her eight-month-old daughter she uses a computer programme to keep in touch.

She said: "This is the first time I've been away from her. It's been six days. It sucks - it's the worst thing ever. But we Skype, so I can see her on video. The worst is when you can see her little chubby hands grab the screen, and I'm not there."

(China Daily/Agencies February 6, 2009)