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She recently opened up about the varied workout regime that has helped her gain and maintain her enviably athletic physique.

And Ellie Goulding showed off the results of her labour on Sunday night, when she took to Instagram to share a shot of herself looking sensational in a skimpy black swimsuit, which was backless and featured a deeply plunging neckline.

The 30-year-old singer , who was accompanied by a bikini-clad friend in the shot, posed with her back to the camera, showing off her toned body for all to see.

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Itsy bitsy: Ellie Goulding shared a shot of herself posing in a skimpy swimsuit alongside a bikini-clad pal on Sunday night

Attracting over 100,000 likes in less than eight hours, the shot was simply captioned with a sea wave emoticon.

Soon afterwards, she returned to the picture-sharing site to upload a black-and-white image of herself enjoying a group hug with two female pals. 

The Love Me Like You Do hitmaker, who is the face of Pantene's latest campaign, recently gave MailOnline an exclusive an insight into her health-conscious lifestyle.

Hug it out: Also on Sunday, she shared a shot of herself enjoying a group hug with two pals

She explained: 'Variety is key. I love to mix my week up with different types of exercise, so I run and do yoga and combine metabolic stuff with plyometric stuff. No real secrets, but I try and train every day. 

'I also love boxing; I’ve been doing it for over two years now. Diet wise, I’ve been a vegetarian for over three years; I just think it’s better for the environment and it’s more sustainable as well as being healthier so it’s win-win!' 

Tales of musicians and bands living decadently on tour are rife throughout the music industry, however, hard-partying isn't Ellie's thing.

Fitness fanatic: Ellie Goulding, 30, has shed light on how she manages to maintain her enviably athletic physique

Fighting fit: Ellie has been practising boxing for two years

She revealed: 'Because of what I do I don’t really feel that temptation, we have a couple of drinks to celebrate after gigs but I get to release so much energy performing and that’s enough for me. 

'I know that might seem surprising but touring for seven years non-stop wiped me out, my all-time favourite happy place is at home with my cats.'

The star is a firm believer in treating her insides well in order to reap the benefits with her external appearance. 

Feeling good: Ellie is a firm believer in treating her insides well in order to reap the benefits with her external appearance

Committed: Ellie said she tries to train everyday

Clean living: Tales of musicians and bands living decadently on tour are rife throughout the music industry, however, hard-partying isn't Ellie's thing

Revealing how she maintains her healthy blonde mane while living such a hectic lifestyle, Ellie said: 'I’ve been on tour for seven years so my daily routine completely depends on what my schedule looks like. I think for me, it all needs to start with looking after myself on the inside. 

'I do believe in using the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair type and needs though and listening to when it needs a break on the heat tools! 

'If I’m going for a run I’ll just tie it up to keep it out of the way. I try to train every day, not too crazy but enough to work up a sweat, so my hair just needs to be practical so I don’t worry about it! Since I’ve been using Pantene Smart Pro-V, I find my hair feels a lot stronger and I’m much happier with the length.' 

Lifestyle choice: The Love Me Like You Do singer has been a vegetarian for three years

Inspirational: Ellie is a role model to a legion of female fans and singer Amy Macdonald recently called her an inspiration

Unsurprisingly, Ellie is a role model to a legion of female fans and singer Amy Macdonald recently called her an inspiration. 

While she didn't attend the recent Women's March in London, Ellie expressed her support for those who did and wished she could have joined them.

She said: 'I was really sad I couldn’t join all the incredible people in London last weekend, I have deep love, respect and admiration for everyone who marched across the globe for women’s rights and equality – it’s a topic very close to my heart.'

Supportive: Ellie didn't attend the recent Women's March in London, Ellie expressed her support for those who did and wished she could have joined them

Ellie added: 'It’s great for women to support each other and build each other up. I think inspiration is a very individual thing and we all find it from different sources, so I feel honoured to be that person for any woman and I take that responsibility very seriously.'

A philanthropist as well as a musician, Ellie recently lent her support to a homelessness campaign after noticing the extent of the problem in England and she hopes to continue using her platform to do good this year. 

She said: 'I’m looking forward to continuing my charity work throughout 2017 and also continuing to raise awareness about sustainability issues, it’s something I’m really passionate about. And career wise, I’m really honoured to be nominated for Brit Award so that will be an amazing evening and to be in an all-female category is very exciting.'

Ready for her close up: Ellie is the face of Pantene's latest campaign