Blimey O'Riley – Lisa shows off her new look ahead of role in Wolverhampton Grand pantomime
As the larger-than-life Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale, actress Lisa Riley was known for her fuller figure.
But now the 39-year-old former soap star, who will be entertaining audiences in Aladdin at this year's Wolverhampton Grand pantomime, is almost unrecognisable after shedding six stone.
She showed offer her new-look which has seen her drop from a size 30 to a 16 in just 10 months in holiday photos taken in the Far East.
After being inundated with positive messages from fans after revealing her dramatic weight loss, the former Strictly Come Dancing contestant tweeted: "For the thousands of messages thanks from the bottom of my heart. I can't quite believe it myself. But I am smiling from ear to ear." Lisa, who also presented You've Been Framed after Jeremy Beadle, originally started losing weight while appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012 with Robin Windsor, reaching the semi-finals with a number of dazzling, high-energy routines.
But she decided to overhaul her lifestyle last year after her father Terry had a cancer scare and was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.
She is now focusing on a healthier lifestyle after losing many family members to cancer, including her mother Cath when she was just 57.
Speaking during an interview, she aid the secret to her weight loss was cutting out alcohol and regular exercise, including walking, Zumba and yoga.
The Waterloo Road actress is set to appear at the Grand as the Slave of the Ring alongside X Factor star Joe McElderry and other cast members from December 10 this year until January 22, 2017. She played Mandy for six and a half years, and won Most Popular Newcomer at the National Television Awards in 1996.
She'll be heading to Wolverhampton with a strong panto pedigree, having starred in ITV's Christmas pantomime Aladdin opposite Ed Byrne, Patsy Kensit, Julian Clary and Paul Merton in 2000. She has been a regular on the panto circuit up and down the country throughout her career.
