'It was my therapy': Daisy Ridley reveals she trained five hours a day and lived on fish to get in shape for Star Wars - The Force Awakens

PUBLISHED: 18:27, 10 November 2015 | UPDATED: 20:41, 10 November 2015

It wasn't easy beating out thousands of actresses to play Rey in next month's Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.

But getting in shape for the part may have been just as challenging. In the December issue of Elle, Daisy Ridley reveals what it took to prepare for playing the heroine of this next installment of the sci-fi saga.

Workouts were five hours a day, five days a week and she lived on diet food. 'It became my solace because it’s the only thing structured in my life right now. Training is sort of a therapy session, I guess,' the 23-year-old said.

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On fire: Daisy Ridley appears in the December issue of Elle magazine to promote her December 18 film Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

Then there was the stunt practice at London’s Pinewood studios.

And the training program lasted three months, she added. The British star has not entirely dropped the routine, either, as there were re-shoots plus in January she will be back in front of cameras for Episode VIII.

As far as what she ate, carbs were not included. 'I had lots of fish, legumes, and spirulina shakes,' Ridley revealed.

The force was with her: 'It became my solace because it’s the only thing structured in my life right now. Training is sort of a therapy session, I guess,' the 23-year-old said about getting in shape for the sci-fi film

And during all this training, she had to keep her Star Wars casting a secret.

'I couldn’t tell any of my friends,' she continued. 'I told my mum and my sisters— then my sister told her boyfriend, and my mum told her friend. I was like, Great, guys—you are great.'

On the shoot there were even more challenges.

'We were told about this scorpion in Abu Dhabi that, if it stabbed you, you needed treatment within half an hour,' Ridley recalled with a laugh.

Diet time: As far as what she ate, carbs were not included. The actress ate only the healthiest foods. 'I had lots of fish, legumes, and spirulina shakes,' Ridley revealed

'There was this bit where I was lying in the sand, and if a scorpion got me, the nearest hospital was an hour away. So I was like, I could die right now. I could be dead in half an hour.'

But she was thrilled to play a character that had so much to offer.

'[Rey is] so strong. She’s cool and smart and she can look after herself. Young girls can look at her and know that they can wear trousers if they want to,' Ridley said.

A new world: The British actress with new droid BB-8 in a market on the planet of Jakku

On the run: She is the female lead of the movie and here she is seen with John Boyega

The dark side is after her: She is confronted with a red crossguard lightsaber as she battles the First Order

'That they don’t have to show off their bodies.'

In her shoot with Mark Seliger, Daisy is draped in color.

Stylist Simon Robins did not play it safe as he put her in red, orange and purple. Her cover dress is by Giorgio Armani Privé with earrings by Chopard. Inside, she models a skirt by Giambattista Valli Haute Couture, a dress by Alexandre Vauthier and bracelet and ring by Van Cleef & Arpels.

Jewelry from Tiffany & Co., Chopard and Harry Winston are also on her.

ELLE's December issue cover story is on newsstands nationwide November 17.