Mauboy flaunts new bikini body

Jessica Mauboy says her confidence has skyrocketed since dropping two dress sizes.

The pop star has stripped down to a swimsuit for the latest cover of Women's Health and shared secrets about her weight loss with the magazine, which saw her go from a size 12 to eight.

Mauboy said it was a mix of clean eating and exercise, rather than any drastic slim-down measures, that helped her achieve the best shape of her life.

"In terms of confidence, I'm like 10 out of 10," the 25-year-old said.

The Darwin-born beauty has long been a pin-up for women with curves but she did not always feel as sure of herself as she does now.

During her Australian Idol days, judge Kyle Sandilands famously said the then-teen might have a better chance of succeeding in the music industry if she lost "the jelly belly".

While many saw the shock jock's comments as harsh, Mauboy admitted she was not looking after her health at the time.

"I look back to when I was 16 and I remember feeling very heavy and Kyle was forward about my weight on Idol," she said.

"My dad was always making sure I was feeling great in my mind. After a while I think my music really boosted me. I thought 'If I'm really serious about this then I should be really serious about my health'."

But on the flip side, Mauboy became the target of social media trolls after she shared the results of her new health regime on Instagram, with some suggesting she had lost too much weight.

The bubbly singer maintained she always wanted to be a poster girl for curvy women.

"I love it - having curves is one of my favourite things," Mauboy said.

"I never want to remove myself from that label because that is definitely me."