Letitia Dean has revealed the secret to her incredible two stone weight loss as she opened up about her transformation on Tuesday.
The EastEnders star, 56, has played Sharon Watts in the BBC soap since 1985 and her appearance over the years has significantly changed.
Over the last few years, she has prioritised her health and well-being and has cut out one of her bad habits.
The actress has gone from 10st 4lbs to 8st 3lbs, dropping a reported four dress sizes in just four months.
Letitia admitted she tried ‘faddy diets’ in the past which never worked but after ditching junk food she has now started to feel better.
Speaking to Closer, the soap star said: ‘It was incredible. I found I had so much more energy than when I used to eat junk food.’
Now Letitia has made long-term changes and enjoys ‘grilled skinless chicken’ and ‘lots of greens’.
She said: ‘The main reason I wanted to do something about my figure was that I was so sick of extreme dieting and my weight yo-yoing.
‘I just woke up one morning, and I’d had enough. For years and years – as long as I can remember – my weight had yo-yoed up and down. I’d go on fad diets like Atkins or I’d only eat eggs.’
Letitia noted that she did ‘lose a stone in a couple of weeks on a yoyo diet’ but admitted it is not sustainable and she quickly slipped back into her old ways.
Now, the BBC star revealed she sticks to a well-balanced diet, keeping to 1,300 calories a day, and compliments her healthy eating regime with exercises such as running and boxercise.
According to the NHS website, the recommended calorie intake, generally speaking, is around 2,000 calories per day for women and 2,500 calories per day for men.
It comes after Letitia hit out at online scammers for using her profile to sell weight loss pills.
A source close to Letitia told MailOnline: ‘It is complete nonsense for B+ Weight Management or any other weight loss brand to state that Letitia has given permission for her image to be used.
‘This advertisement and product have absolutely no relevance to Letitia whatsoever and she urges any potential customers to do their research before buying weight loss products, especially ones that claim to be using celebrity endorsements.’
The adverts for the B+ Weight Management slimming pills are being pushed on Facebook and when interested parties click on a link, it sends them through to a fake interview with Letitia in which she claims the pills made her ‘lose five stone in two weeks.’
It also stated that Letitia needed to lose weight or face surgery, plus wild claims that her BBC bosses were ‘furious’ about her new body shape.
The scammers went as far to make up a fake interview Letitia made with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, despite the fact the soap star rarely speaks in public.
Her EastEnders co-star Natalie Cassidy, who plays Sonia Fowler, warned fans during an Instagram live that Letitia’s involvement with the firm wasn’t true, and rejected claims her own weight loss was down to the pills.
Fellow EastEnders actor Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale) and Dragon’s Den star Deborah Meaden have also been targeted by scammers who claim the pair are endorsing weight loss supplements.
Susanna Reid spoke out in April alongside Martin Lewis about scammers using her image to flog Keto pills as she urged viewers to ignore the fake advertisements.
Speaking live on air, she said: ‘People I imagine that would have been able to see through the scam contacting me saying ‘I am desperate to lose weight, do your Keto pills work?’ I do not endorse, sell, make, manufacture or back any pills for losing weight.’
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
