Big Brother winner Nadia Almada has revealed she has lost six stone and four dress sizes after having a gastric sleeve fitted.
The reality star, 47, was crowned champion of series five in 2004 and made history as the first ever transgender contestant to star on the Channel 4 programme.
And now 20 years on from her win, Nadia has revealed she has slimmed down from 17st 6lb down to 11st 8lb after doctors warned her life was at risk.
Speaking candidly to New Magazine, Nadia revealed that she dropped down from a size 20 to a size 12 and she feels better than ever.
The reality show star said that she had been warned she was at a higher risk of having major heart problems or a stroke due to the excess weight she was carrying.
Big Brother winner Nadia Almada has revealed she has lost six stone and four dress sizes after having a gastric sleeve fitted
And now 20 years on from her win, Nadia has revealed she has slimmed down from 17st 6lb down to 11st 8lb after doctors warned her life was at risk
The reality star, 47, was crowned champion of series five in 2004 and made history as the first ever transgender contestant to star (pictured in 2004 on Big Brother)
But now, Nadia says she feels better than ever and is glad of her fresh start.
Nadia explained: ‘I was a fully-fledged carbo-tarian. It was so bad that I’d eat two large pizzas with three sides in one night – and that was meant for a family of four. It’s crazy.’
She continued: ‘I was a size 20 and a shadow of my former self. I had no stamina, no energy, no vitality – and there was a higher risk of having major heart problems or a stroke from the weight that I’d been carrying.’
The TV star also joked she couldn’t wear heels due to the swelling in her feet but now feels she has had a ‘fresh beginning.’
She said: ‘It’s a new start, a fresh beginning. I feel prettier slender, but it’s not just the physical side, I’m also happy that I’ve been able to reverse a lot of the damage that I’d done to my body.’
Revealing that within the last three months her cholesterol and thyroid levels had gone down, she described the surgery as life-saving and admitted she now has loads more energy.
Nadia also explained she struggled to adjust post-surgery to her want to emotional eat versus what her body actually needed.
Explaining how she has adapted her life and eating habits she said she now uses side plates rather than big past bowls to help manage her portion control but admitted it took some adjustment.
Nadia explained: ‘I was a fully-fledged carbo-tarian. It was so bad that I’d eat two large pizzas with three sides in one night – and that was meant for a family of four. It’s crazy’ (pictured with Davina McCall in 2004)
Nadia confessed that she had been warned she was at a higher risk of having major heart problems or a stroke due to the excess weight she was carrying
Nadia explained that she used to hide herself under kaftans and stopped wearing jeans because she felt like she looked like Mr Potato Head but is much happier in her new size 12 body (pictured in 2005)
She went on to say that at first she took to watching mukbang videos, where people binge eat, to feel like she was eating what she was seeing.
But now, she’s got used to her new life and is loving it and takes more time to enjoy the food she eats rather than passively munching in front of the TV.
And, while the star was not focused on slimming down for a particular piece of clothing, she did say she had stopped buying new clothes after she put on weight.
Nadia revealed she was hiding herself and used to only wear kaftans in an attempt to cover up.
She added that she stopped buying jeans after she went over a size 14 after describing her appearance as like Mr potato Head.
She said: ‘Before, my fat was visceral fat, congested around my organs, so I had skinny legs, a massive belly and no bum. In jeans, I looked like Mr Potato head.’
And the star is clearly over the moon about her weight loss journey.
Nadia recently took to Instagram to reveal her slimmed down frame in a black swimsuit.
It comes after the star issued a heart-wrenching apology to her younger self for ‘fat-shaming’ and ‘objectifying’ her looks during an appearance on Loose Women in August.
It comes after the star issued a heart-wrenching apology to her younger self for ‘fat-shaming’ and ‘objectifying’ her looks during an appearance on Loose Women in August (pictured on This Morning February 2023)
Back in 2004, the Portuguese hairdresser was showered with praise for providing representation for the transgender community.
And during the interview, the ITV show displayed some images of Nadia from her time on Big Brother and the star seemed to get choked up as they flashed across the screen.
She fought back tears as she said: ‘Looking at those pictures I need to profusely apologise to her for fat shaming her, for objectifying her, for mistreating her.
‘Somehow along the line I compartmentalised that young lady for not being your standard.
‘Now I’m talking to me, really. I’m sorry for doing that to Nadia because it was a special moment and I had to put her in the attic or the basement.
Reflecting, Nadia continued: ‘It comes from maturity and experience. 20 years on, I have to embrace a different strength in me. I embrace it and I feel better for it.’
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