10 February 2024 , 07:00
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Lisa Riley, star of ITV's Emmerdale, had to undergo four surgeries to deal with loose skin after her impressive weight loss of 12 stone.
The actress, who dropped from a size 28 to a size 12 in just 18 months, was shocked by the side effects of losing so much weight so quickly. Despite being thrilled with her weight loss, Lisa was left struggling with over 1.5 stone of loose skin.
This led to her undergoing four major surgeries and inspired her documentary - Lisa Riley's Baggy Body Club. In the documentary, she revealed: "When I made the decision to lose weight, I never for one second imagined that I would end up looking like that.
"It never occurred to me that the loose skin would be so bad. I thought 'why on earth have I lost all this weight?' I looked worse than I did when I was obese. And it was the pain as well. The skin was flapping about and dragging."
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 23: Lisa Riley attends the West End Eurovision at the Dominion Theatre on May 23, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Lisa showcased the side effect in her documentary (ITV)Lisa wanted to show the harsh reality of weight loss, especially the issue many people face when they lose a significant amount of weight. She added: "I wanted to show the brutality of it. In life you can't sympathise or have empathy with anybody unless you can see it."
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"If I can help one person, and I know I have helped thousands, then for me it has been worthwhile." Lisa confessed she was scared before undergoing the four surgeries - a fleur de lis tummy tuck which left her with vertical and horizontal scars, surgery to remove the loose skin from her thighs, a boob lift and the removal of her "bingo wings".
But she was determined to push herself forward and take "responsibility" for not maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She said: "When you are on this weight loss journey, food becomes the enemy and you have to go to the gym, you have to move."
"But the movement was becoming a severe problem. It really hurt, it rubbed and it would get red, and it was hard to clean between the folds. The night before the surgery, I was so petrified everybody thought I wasn't going to go through with it. I was thinking that in 11 hours I could be dead. I might not wake up."
She added: "Could I have lived with the loose skin for the rest of my life? Yes, but I wouldn't have been happy. I don't feel like I have had cosmetic surgery, I have corrected what I had done to myself."
"Nobody made me eat 50 Twix bars, or a whole packet of sausages at one sitting. I did that to myself. No one made me not go to the gym. Some weeks I was probably having seven takeaways a week. I did that to myself. I have to take responsibility for that."
"I had never been able to wear sexy underwear before it was all just functional, mumsy bras and big knickers. Now I can wear little sexy sets. 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, people can't believe it."