Inside Michelle McManus' weight loss journey from sobriety to drafting in celebrity help

It's been over 20 years since Michelle McManus shot to fame on Pop Idol.

The Scots singer was just 23 when she won the ITV singing competition, she then signed to Sony BMG record label before releasing her debut single All This Time and debut album The Meaning of Love in 2004, which soared to number three in the charts.

However, Michelle said that her time on the show was dominated by her appearance, speaking on Loose Women last year, she recalled the cruel fat-shaming she endured. Michelle then got teary as she recounted how she felt at the time when she was being judged for how she looked rather than her incredible voice.

She said: "It was really difficult. I don't know why I'm getting emotional now, it was 20 years ago."

The star is married to Jeff Nimmo, who she wed in 2017 and they share two sons together.

Just this week, Michelle shared a snap of herself at an event on Instagram and her followers couldn't help but comment on how amazing she was looking as she smiled for the camera in a stunning green dress.

One wrote: "you look amazing sweetie."

And another added: "You are looking fantastic."

While one said: "Love that dress - you look fab."

We take a look back at Michelle's journey...

You Are What You Eat

In 2005, Michelle appeared on Channel 4 dieting programme You Are What You Eat and not long after, she brought out a book and DVD about weight loss.

The Scots singer told celebrity dietician Gillian McKeith that some nights she would have burgers, chips and eight whiskey and cokes in one night.

In the episode, Gillian ridiculed her on her drinking, branding it 'disgusting'. She said: "Why do you drink?"

Michelle laughed: "Because we're young, single and we have a laugh, you should come with me, Gillian!"

Gillian then set out a new regime, which made her quit booze altogether for five months.

Michelle worked with Gillian for around a year and managed to shift an impressive 10 stone after previously weighing 23 stones whilst she was on Pop Idol.

She went from a size 32 to a size 16.

Healthy lifestyle

In recent years, Michelle explained being healthy is a priority over size.

She previously told The Sunday Post: “It’s only in the last couple of months I’ve started to lose weight again. I’ve always struggled with my weight I think I always will.

“It doesn’t really bother me. It’s never stopped me doing anything. I’m comfortable with it.

“But Pop Idol and people’s reaction to my size made me realise I was massively overweight and just how critical people can be.

“Since then, I’ve yo-yoed, but I’m conscious of when I need to rein it back in and I’m realistic enough to start looking after myself. I’d say now I’m a bit more in control.”

In 2006, she brought out her own fitness video called Michelle McManus: The Life Plan.

Surgery

Michelle previously admitted that she had considered going under the knife in order to lose weight. According to The Sun, she said she has looked into having surgery but wanted to try do it herself before considering such drastic measures.

In 2018, Michelle said: "I'm just not happy at this size and furthermore I'm not afraid to admit it out loud.

"So why don't I just do something about it I hear you cry? Well you see the thing is I've tried but something has changed. In my twenties and early thirties all I had to do was cut my calorie intake down to about 1300 calories a day and exercise 3 times a week and the weight would literally fall off me, I'm talking 7lbs weight loss in my first week so I had no excuses for being overweight.

"I just simply ate and drank too much, simple but now that I'm almost 38-years-old that old approach just doesn't work anymore because sadly it's true what they say, the older you get the harder it most definitely gets to lose the weight. I've thought really seriously about gastric bypass surgery as a few friends I know have had it and they look incredible.

"They rave about and say it's changed their lives and I'm so proud of them for taking that step but there's part of me that really wants to give myself one more chance to do it on my own. I've done it before so why can't I do it again?

"It's also harder at this stage in my life because everything else in my universe is so utterly perfect. I'm madly in love with my husband who adores me just as I am, I have a wonderful family and friends, my career has never been better and other than my weight I'm extremely fit and healthy apparently so why can't I just be thankful for all my blessings?

"It's hard to explain unless you've experienced it yourself but trust me, when your not comfortable in your own skin it doesn't matter how great everything else is because your current weight and size is what solely consumes your thoughts."

Sobriety

Five years ago, Michelle decided to give up alcohol for good after falling pregnant with her first child.

She said she used alcohol as a way to cope with low self-confidence but said by her mid-30s she became worried about her safety after she couldn't recall getting home from night outs.

Speaking on the Why Aren't You Drinking podcast, the Glasgow-born star said: "I stopped drinking in 2019 on the day I got my positive pregnancy test and it was a blessing for so many reasons.

"Falling pregnant helped me make the massive decision to give up alcohol which I had been too scared to make. I didn't really know who I was without alcohol, not because I felt really that I was dependent on it, but it had been such a huge part of my life and my persona.

"It was a form of escapism when I maybe wasn't reading such nice things about me or I didn't feel as confident as I do now. Alcohol was a way for me to go 'Goodbye world'.

"For a long time I never got very drunk and I was one of those ones who could drink everyone under the table. Then something happened in my mid-thirties where after a couple of drinks it was like I had dived off a cliff.

"I was getting so drunk, I couldn't remember getting home and I was making a fool of myself. I never had a full stop button. I went from being that person who was a great drunk and could remember everything to being the person that everyone said to the next day 'Are you okay?'.

"I started to spiral at that point. After every time I would drink I would say 'I'm not drinking again,' but then the weekend would come around and I didn't know how to function without going out drinking with my friends."

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