She battled out extreme conditions to be one of the last survivors still standing on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls.
And after going without food for up to eight nights at a time and limited access to water, Lucy Mecklenburgh found herself two stone lighter on her return to home soil.
The reality beauty, 26, had shocked fans when she shared a before and after Instagram post depicting her weight loss and speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Lucy admits she ‘literally couldn’t stop eating’ in her bid to regain her usual frame.
‘I couldn’t stop eating’: Lucy Mecklenburgh, 26, exclusively told MailOnline she ‘almost had a food addiction’ following her return from Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls
Former TOWIE star Lucy, who has since found success as an online fitness guru with her company Results With Lucy, explained she has always had a ‘good relationship’ with food, but forced to go without it for so long left her with constant cravings to eat.
The starlet, who has teamed up with Zizzi on their latest takeaway campaign, has said her experience following her return from Panama, where the Channel 4 survival series was filmed, was the first time she felt like she experienced yo-yo dieting.
She said: ‘I almost had a food addiction when I came off because I wanted to eat everything. We were actually warned about that, you want to eat everything because you are so restricted.
Tough conditions: Lucy – who has collaboarted with Zizzi recently – was forced to battle with limited access to food and water in a physically draining environment during her stint on the Channel 4 series
‘You want to eat everything because you are so restricted’: The former TOWIE star explained she has always had a ‘good relationship’ with food, but forced to go without it for so long left her with constant cravings to eat
‘It was good for me because it was the first time I experienced yo-yo dieting. I have a very good relationship with food, but it was the first time I experienced cutting everything out – obviously it wasn’t my choice – and then you just crave everything. I just couldn’t stop eating.’
Lucy, who is often sharing her healthy meals and training regime via social media, insists she now ‘feels so much better’ as she has regained her usual gym-honed shape – although she admits she had to start at the beginning again with her fitness and regaining her figure had taken a ‘long time’.
Revealing just how extreme the conditions she was forced to survive in had been, Lucy shared a ‘before and after’ shot depicting her two stone weight loss with her Instagram followers, leaving many shocked at her thinner frame that saw her plummet to just over seven stone.
Shocking: Revealing just how extreme the conditions she was forced to survive in had been, Lucy shared a ‘before and after’ shot depicting her two stone weight loss via Instagram
‘I felt like a child’: Recalling her dramatic weight loss, Lucy said: ‘I had no curves left any more, no boobs, no bum… and I just looked very frail.’
The Essex star explained that she and her fellow islanders were forced to go without mirrors for their entire stay and on seeing her reflection after first leaving the island, she admits it had been ‘very scary’.
‘I felt child like,’ she claimed. ‘I had no curves left any more, no boobs, no bum… and I just looked very frail.’
While her post was evidence of the tough time she and the show’s celebrities had to face, Celebrity Island didn’t find itself without criticism while it was airing. Viewers had criticised the show for allowing its islanders to kill animals for food, deeming it ‘unnecessary’, while others questioned items that were ‘conveniently’ found on the beach by the celebs – including plastic sheeting and a mouldy carrot.
Intense: Her thinner frame that saw her plummet to just over seven stone, with the reality star insisting she is ‘feeling much better’ now she has regained her usual frame
‘It’s very real’: Lucy also took the opportunity to hit back at those criticising how genuine the intensity of Celebrity Island is, laughing: ‘Do you really think Channel 4 are going to plant a mouldy carrot on the beach for a storyline and for food? Seriously?’
Reiterating just how real the environment they are forced to live in had been, Lucy brushed off the show’s critics and laughed: ‘It was bl**dy hard. Do you really think Channel 4 are going to plant a mouldy carrot on the beach for a storyline and for food? Seriously? It’s very real.
‘We went the first eight/nine days with nothing to eat at all. It’s hardcore. Everyone sits on their sofa and says they could do better, but you camp in your garden for nine days and tell me how much energy you have.’
Lucy defiantly added: ‘It is what it is. We have to kill animals. Where do people think their perfectly packaged chicken on their Tesco shelf comes from?’
On the show, Lucy romance had blossomed for herself and boyfriend Ryan Thomas and their relationship continued on their return.
Love is survival: Sparks flew when she met beau Ryan Thomas on Bear Grylls’ Celebrity Island where they were in the midst of water shortages, extreme hunger and tropical storms
Confusing: The duo’s romance has been at the centre of split rumours, after Lucy appeared to make a cryptic dig at her beau by sharing a photo of a frog to her Instagram story and posting: ‘I seem to attract frogs.’
Although, the duo recently found themselves faced with speculation they had split, after Lucy appeared to make a cryptic dig at her beau by sharing a photo of a frog to her Instagram story and posting: ‘I seem to attract frogs.’
While she never addressed the claims, Lucy appears to have put the rumours to bed by tagging her beau in her social media activity since. Known for wanting to keep their relationship private, she made sure not to discuss the swirling claims, but did admit it can be ‘confusing’ when her social media posts are taken out of context.
‘I am used to it, you can never please anyone no matter what you post. It’s very, very odd. I’ve learnt to deal with it,’ she claimed. ‘I’ve been in the public eye since I was 19, I’m 26 now. It’s confusing sometimes, but you have to let it go ahead over your head.’
Lucy added: ‘You’re going to get opinions and I have to accept that comes with social media.’
All good? While Lucy made sure not to discuss the swirling claims, she did admit it can be ‘confusing’ when her social media posts are taken out of context
She also shared an insight into her relationship with Ryan, telling MailOnline that her ideal date night is a toss up between getting all glammed up or a night in with her beau and a takeaway.
‘I like putting a dress on and heels and going out and being spoiled. But I do like a night in with Netflix!’ she teased.
Lucy’s comments come as she has collaborated with Zizzi on her very own edit when it comes to their takeaway menu. Despite living by an 80/20 rule when it comes to her diet, the fitness fanatic admitted she likes to ‘get excited’ about indulging of a weekend and doesn’t allow herself to ‘feel guilty’ when she does, as she is dedicated to her training regime.
‘I live the 80/20 rule and I do indulge, I have pizza and I do have pasta… I have a normal life like everybody else. If you cut out everything every single day, you will crack!’
Lucy Mecklenburgh selects her top takeaway dishes for her very own ‘Zizzi Edit’ available to order now
‘I do indulge!’ Lucy has collaborated with Zizzi on her very own edit when it comes to their takeaway menu, admitting she likes to get ‘excited’ about indulging of a weekend and doesn’t feel ‘guilty’ thanks to living by the 80/20 diet rule