Emmerdale star Lisa Riley is stepping into the jungle for this year’s I’m A Celebrity
Lisa Riley is stepping away from Emmerdale to head into the jungle for this year’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!
Since first appearing as Mandy Dingle on Emmerdale in 1995, Lisa has established herself as a firm favourite on the ITV soap.
Recognised for her vibrant personality, infectious energy, and compassionate nature, Mandy has featured in some of the program’s most compelling storylines over the last three decades.
These include her turbulent romance with Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) and the devastating revelation that she adopted her son Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) whilst in a relationship with his violent father, Paul Ashdale (Reece Dinsdale).
READ MORE: I’m A Celebrity’s Angry Ginge signed up to ITV show ‘to find a girlfriend’READ MORE: Emmerdale star tearfully reveals harrowing abuse ‘I don’t know how I survived’
Beyond the cameras of Emmerdale, the 49-year-old has navigated her own personal challenges, taking the momentous step to transform her health by losing an incredible 12 stone over 18 months, reports the Daily Star.
Instead of pursuing a rapid solution to lose weight, Lisa adopted a more sustainable approach, which involved replacing processed foods with nutritious alternatives and committing to regular gym sessions.
Throughout this 18-month transformation, Lisa, who hails from Bury, went from a size 28 down to a trim size 12.
Yet the demanding weight loss process came with its challenges, as the actress struggled with uncomfortable folds of loose skin, weighing over 1.5 stone, according to The Mirror.
Reflecting on the struggle, 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.”
In her 2017 documentary, Lisa Riley’s Baggy Body Club, Lisa emotionally revealed that her transformed body had left her feeling “revolted” by her own reflection after shedding the weight.
The ITV show documented Lisa’s courageous decision to have surgery removing her excess skin, a procedure undertaken by numerous people each year.
Speaking candidly about her anxieties ahead of the operation, Lisa disclosed how fear nearly prevented her from going ahead.
“The night before the surgery, I was so petrified that 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 admitted.
The actress continued, “Could I have lived with the loose skin for the rest of my life? Yes, but I wouldn’t have been happy.”
Notably, whilst frequently regarded as a cosmetic operation, Lisa believed her skin removal represented something entirely different.
“I don’t feel like I have had cosmetic surgery, I have corrected what I had done to myself”, she stated.
Earlier this year, Lisa spoke openly about the loss of her cherished mother, Cath, to secondary breast cancer in 2012, aged just 58.
She courageously told the Mirror: “Mum went way before her time. I had to grow up really quickly. When I lost her, it blew my mind, because I had to do everything on my own and in this industry, it’s hard.
“I realised she was more than my backbone with my career, she was more than my mother, my best friend. All whoosh, gone overnight. All of a sudden, I had to swim on my own. But she taught me to be strong. She gave me that fire.”
The loss of her mum has also deterred Lisa from marrying her long-term partner, Al, despite being in a relationship for 11 years.
She expressed: “We’re already married, but not married. And honestly, I truly couldn’t cope with the big day without my mum by my side. Why would I want to put myself through that?”.
“Al lost his mum not long ago, and he’s got no parents. Thank God I’ve got Dad. But you know, we’re not kids – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We’re 11 years together in June.”
I’m A Celebrity airs Sunday, 16 Nomber at 9pm on ITV and ITVX
#Emmerdale #star #Lisa #Rileys #painful #weight #loss #reason #marrying #revealed
