Tuesday, 19 July 2011

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Emmerdale's Pauline Quirke: I was struggling to buckle my seat belt on a plane - so I lost 7st

The Birds Of A Feather star was embarrassed about her size

Pauline Quirke plays Hazel Rhodes in Emmerdale

Pauline Quirke has revealed why she decided to lose 7st in just 6½ months.

The Emmerdale star, who weighed nearly 20st last year, felt ashamed when she had to ask for a seat extension on a plane.

'I'd always struggled getting the seat belt done up, but I just about managed every time - but for two hours I'd be sat in agony as the belt would be digging into my kidneys,' says Pauline, 51.

'I'd always managed to do it until this one particular time when it wasn't going to do up.

'It was horrible and I remember my husband and kids could see I was quite distressed.

'I asked the stewardess very quietly for a seat extension and she was very discreet about it...but I remember thinking, "I've got to do something".'

Pauline, whose hip replacement 2 years ago also made her reconsider her lifestyle, lost the weight through the Lighter Life plan - and she's determined to stay thin.

'It literally will go back on overnight if you go back to how you ate before,' she told ITV1's This Morning.

'This isn't a crash diet, it isn't a quick fix - the hard bit will be to maintain it and keep this off.' 

Celebrity weight gains and losses>>

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