Emmerdale's Lisa Riley can no longer fit into Mandy Dingle's clothes
Lisa Riley has played Mandy Dingle on Emmerdale, on and off since 1995.
Emmerdale's Lisa Riley can no longer fit into Mandy Dingle's clothes due to her slimmer frame.
The ITV soap's wardrobe and costume team has had to buy new outfits for the character as the 50-year-old actress lost 12 stone after going teetotal, and shed 12lbs during her time on ITV's I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! last year.
Lisa told the new issue of Closer magazine that she feels good since making healthier lifestyle changes.
The star said: "I go to the gym because I want to go. I like doing classes like Zumba. But I do run around a lot too. When I am on set, I easily hit 10,000 steps."
She laughed: "I do feel good, and it's funny because now when I put on Mandy's clothes, they are too big for me! We are having to buy new clothes for her."
Lisa, who went from a size 30 to a size 14 in two years after ditching junk food in favour of healthier meals and exercise, was first pushed to shift the pounds when she appeared on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing in 2012.
But the real drive came after the devastating loss of her mum, Cath, to breast cancer that same year at the age of 57.
The former Loose Women panellist is "so proud" of everything she's accomplished and is pleased she can inspire others.
In August 2020, she told The Sun newspaper: "I am so proud of everything I have done. At my funeral, the priest is not going to say, 'Thank you for coming, Lisa Riley was fat!'. He is not going to mention my size, as it doesn't matter.
"I love the fact I can inspire people to be healthy and make them believe that if they want to make it happen, they can. But I have given so much more to people and my career."
Lisa admitted she shed 12 stone after becoming "addicted" to losing weight.
In November 2018, the Waterloo Road alum was quoted by the Daily Mirror newspaper as saying: "I was obese, had a dreadful diet, drank too much and was filled with self-loathing.
"I was a complete over-eater and an emotional eater. I'd eat when I was happy and eat when I was sad.
"I decided that instead of feeling sorry for myself and making up excuses, I had to do something about it and turn those negatives into positives.
"And, believe me, once you start seeing results, it becomes addictive.
"As my dress sizes started to drop and my choice of clothes grew, it spurred me on to keep going."
