Eastenders star Natalie Cassidy first hit Britain's television screens as Sonia Fowler back in 1993.
Since her BBC soap debut, the actress has completely transformed her appearance after she underwent a remarkable weight loss journey which took her from a size 16 to a size eight. Fans of the mum-of-two have been cheering her on from the sidelines as the actress lost an impressive amount of weight in just a year.
Natalie has mostly credited her transformation to her dedication to improving her health and fitness as she has ditched takeaways and has now recently taken on a major marathon in memory of her late co-star Barbara Winsdor, the Daily Star reports.
Here we take a closer look at how the soap icon successfully shed the pounds.
Fitness DVD
Natalie's weight loss journey has not been entirely plain sailing as she revealed how she lost a whopping four stone for her £100k fitness DVD deal only to put it all back on within eight weeks.
The actress spoke about how she was offered the lump sum of cash in order to get fit. Natalie went on to release two weight-loss DVDS, Then and Now and The Perfect Ten in 2013. She admitted during an interview on the Comfort Eating with Grace Dent podcast that she was given the money to lose four stone.
The EastEnders star explained: "I was very overweight and they approached me and said listen, we're going to give you £100,000, we're going to get you really fit and you're going to lose four stone.
"I was like happy days, let's go for it. I just thought, that's a lot of money; but it wasn't the right thing to do."
However, things did not quite go according to plan for the new found exercise addict as Natalie admitted that she put all the weight back on after the DVD's release.
Speaking of her yo-yo weight loss, she said: "You are losing a lot of weight in a three or four-month period, twelve or sixteen weeks, low calories and training every day. I got there, and as soon as that DVD came out, I ate for England. I put all the weight back on in eight weeks."
Natalie also joked about how her love for mayonnaise was to blame for previously holding back her fitness goals, saying: "If it wasn't for mayonnaise, I'd look like a supermodel!"
The 'simple' changes that made a difference
Natalie now swears by her "simple" diet regime and widely attributes her recent weight loss to eating better. The actress has fluctuated between sizes 16 and eight since her debut on EastEnders in 1993.
However, her latest weight loss achievement of shedding 42 pounds is down to her dedication of following a "boring" routine which consists of "eating well, exercise and water consumption".
She said: "I feel very at ease with myself now, as I've got older. Throughout the years I've gone through a lot of ups and downs.
"Now, I just know the simple things that work – eat well, exercise, drink lots of water. All the boring things, but I feel like my body is the size it should be now."
The actress spoke out about her new found confidence in herself and her appearance just before she celebrated her 37th birthday.
She said: "I've been through a lot in my life, and I feel more confident about who I am and what I look like, 100 percent."
In an interview with The Sun, she added: "I cut out rubbish. I cut down on alcohol too, even though I love white wine," she said. And it seems to have worked wonders, as Natalie has also sworn off takeaways.
Exercise boost
Natalie Cassidy's weight loss has been inspiring to many others who would like to follow in her footsteps and achieve their own fitness goals.
The EastEnders actress managed to drop four dress sizes simply by just making some drastic changes to her lifestyle. However, it was not just her diet that she had to improve but also her movement.
Natalie got into fitness and decided to run the London Marathon in 2019 which she completed in honour of her former late co-star, Dame Barbara Windsor who played Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera.
Speaking on the podcast RunPod, Natalie explained how her running group helped her maintain her motivation. She said: "We've suddenly become this little team of people and we're so close. We've got WhatsApp groups and we go out together and we post our runs and it gives you motivation."
Natalie's new-found love for nutrition and fitness has driven her to form a healthier relationship with her body. She explained: "I have learnt how to eat and how to be comfortable with who I am.
"I feel much more confident and comfortable with myself now, which motivates me to continue."
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One at 7.30pm
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