Skins Star Laya Lewis Shares Swimsuit Photo From Italy

1. Swimming In the Sunshine

One look at Lewis’s social media shows just how much she loves swimming and the beach. “Swimming is one of the few activities that work your whole body,” says the British Heart Foundation. “Breaststroke, backstroke, front crawl, butterfly and even doggy paddle get your legs and arms moving. This in turn works your back and core muscles.”

2. Proud of Beverley

Lewis was proud to portray a biracial character in 2015 film Beverley. “I really loved that it was about a mixed race young girl,” she says. “You know, you get a lot of movies, different narratives that kind of circulate around the 80s, Margaret Thatcher, etc. But to be of mixed race, that’s often not covered and to be a mixed-race girl it’s kind of like you don’t know where you stand in society. You’re still a teenager as well as dealing with all those other troubles anyway… I just thought it would be really great to live through that, and being mixed race myself, I faced issues like bullying and stuff when I was in school – about the color of my skin. So, I thought it would be interesting to share that story and try to become part of it.”

3. No Drama School

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Lewis never formally trained as an actress, and got her role in Skins from an open audition. “I didn’t go to drama school,” she says. “I was one of those people who was quite stuck with that. When everyone else was applying for university, I did apply, but I wasn’t too bothered about it, because I knew that I didn’t want to go at that time. I think my plan was to save and travel and do some volunteer work. I knew I wanted to eventually do a degree in media and cultural studies, which is what I’m doing now. But at the time I was just thinking of maybe traveling for a year and sort of deciding over that period what I really wanted to do.”

4. Vegan Meals

Lewis enjoys plant-based vegan meals. "You can be overweight and be a vegan; you can be malnourished and be a vegan," says cardiologist Jeffrey Soble, MD. "Whatever your diet choice, you have to know which foods to avoid and which foods to seek out... Refined grains, sweets and junk food are troublemakers for everyone, not just vegans. And vegans and nonvegans alike can fall into the habit of making these items the mainstays of their diet."

5. Media Studies

Lewis studied media and cultural studies alongside acting. “In a way, I find it’s quite separate from acting – not separate from the industry, but from acting itself,” she says. “The two can mesh, but now it’s like two separate things, which is nice, because it breaks things up. At this age, you’re getting jobs in dribs and drabs, at other times you’re working non-stop. So, it’s nice to have something separate to work on in my own time. I’m just enjoying learning as well. A lot of it is theory-based and to do with different cultures, so it’s nice to be doing that well."