Cameron praises his wife Samantha’s discipline

The Prime Minister admitted he was “jealous” that Mrs Cameron and their children had gone away while he was “slogging” around Europe trying to renegotiate Britain’s EU membership terms.

And he said lavish meals with fellow leaders posed problems for his diet because he was “a bit greedy”.

Asked about the photographs on ITV’s This Morning, Mr Cameron said: “I am very lucky to have such a wonderful wife.

“She took the children off for a nice holiday while I was slogging around Europe trying to get this negotiation started.

“So I was a bit jealous.”

Pressed on whether he was similarly “beach ready”, the Prime Minister said: “I am not as good as she is at controlling what goes in. I am a bit greedy. She is very disciplined. I have probably got a bit to learn off her. But I try to go for a jog or play a bit of tennis.

“When you do these European tours, the meals - I was always brought up that you have got to eat what is put in front of you.”

Referring to one particularly large morning meal in Poland last week - which concluded with cheesecake - Mr Cameron said: “I had a three-course breakfast. I don’t normally have a three-course breakfast. I had porridge this morning.”

The news comes after the Prime Minister faced some ridicule two summers ago after pictures of him topless were printed in some national newspapers.

During a Conervative Party conference he memorably mocked former Labour leader Ed Miliband saying “you keep your shirt on, I will keep the lights on.”