Octavia Spencer's Spanx solution

Octavia Spencer gave the "illusion" of an hourglass figure at a recent awards event by wearing three pairs of Spanx underneath her dress.

Octavia Spencer wears three pairs of Spanx when she has to walk the red carpet.

The 'Help' star - who won the Best Supporting Actress prize at the Screen Actors Guild awards on Sunday (29.01.12) - admits she gained the "illusion" of an hourglass figure thanks to the support underwear.

She said: "I was not a Girl Scout, but I try to be very, very prepared. I triple Spank. Which is not good. Spanx really, really work, but you don't need to overdo it.

"It's wonderful because it gives you the illusion of an hourglass with the sand kind of spread out."

She was not the only star to have "overdone" it, as she found 'Bridesmaids' star Melissa McCarthy also was struggling under the pressure of the body-contouring undergarment.

She told Ellen DeGeneres: "I could not party that night because I was being pinched in places that I didn't know it was possible.

"I said, 'Oh my God, Melissa, I'm about to die. My Spanx are killing me. She said, 'I just went to the bathroom and took mine off.' "