Emmerdale star Lisa Riley has opened up about her dramatic weight loss journey, shedding 12 stone and undergoing multiple surgeries to remove excess skin. The actress, known for playing Mandy Dingle, kick-started her transformation during her time on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012, where dancing seven hours a day boosted her metabolism.
Riley, 47, revealed she cut out carbs in the evening, avoids bread and alcohol, and eats smaller portions, with no food after 6.30pm. She swapped the gym for Zumba classes and gave up alcohol in 2015, realising it contained 'empty calories'. She said: 'If you add up through the week what I'd consume in alcohol calories it was mad.'
After losing 11 stone, Riley underwent excess skin removal surgery in 2017, which removed a further stone and four pounds. She confessed in her documentary 'Lisa Riley's Baggy Body Club' that she was shocked by the loose skin, saying: 'It never occurred to me that the loose skin would be so bad. I looked worse than when I was obese.'
She underwent four surgeries: a fleur de lis tummy tuck, removal of 'bingo wings', a boob lift, and thigh skin removal. Now fully recovered, Riley said she feels proud and can wear 'sexy little sets' of underwear. She added: 'On the train from Manchester to London, the old me would have had a coffee, baguette, red wine, crisps, and a cake. Now I plan my meals and order a sparkling water.'
