Loose Women's Linda Robson shares struggles with diets and their severe side effects

Linda Robson, a familiar face on Loose Women, has shared her encounter with a "strict" diet that left her with "revolting" side effects. The 66-year-old TV personality discussed her weight struggles and past efforts with various strategies like WeightWatchers and slimming pills, yet found them all to be unpleasant.

She suffered through one intense regimen of packet soups, snack bars, and milkshakes, which led to hair loss, foul breath, and constant hunger pangs. As reported by Woman magazine, Linda opened up by saying: "I've spent most of my life on one sort of diet or another, even when I probably didn't need to. I've done WeightWatchers and used slimming pills - I've tried just about every one available, and they're all horrible."

She continued: "They either give you diarrhoea or they send you hyper. The plan (with one diet) was so strict, and the side effects I experienced were revolting," reports the Express.

"My hair started falling out, my breath stank, and because I was literally living on packet soups, a snack bar and a milkshake - that's all I would have all day - I was starving the whole time."

Commenting on her diet challenges, she expressed it was "not sustainable", highlighting that she "couldn't last on it forever" and shared that any weight loss was quickly undone once she resumed normal eating.

Linda Robson's journey with weight fluctuations that have "yo-yoed so much over the years" caught public attention in 2017 due to her significant weight loss, attributed to cutting out alcohol and sugar. The actress from 'Birds of a Feather' has been open about her past health struggles, discussing her issues with alcoholism, OCD, and insomnia.

She admitted feeling "better" than she had in "years" around that time, despite facing numerous challenges. Robson revealed her inner turmoil during that period: "After I stopped drinking the wine, I went down to a size eight, and everyone was telling me how good I looked because of the weight loss, but inside, I was falling apart."

She opened up about the negative impact on both her physical appearance and mental health: "I was spending whole days crying, and I looked absolutely terrible, really skinny like a skeleton... It was as if I was at death's door, with hollowed-out cheeks and lines etched across my face."

The turning point for Linda came when she checked into rehab in 2019, leading to a recovery where she regained both her weight and confidence. Now she feels "never more confident" or "at ease" with herself and is committed to maintaining her sobriety.

While Linda lives an alcohol-free lifestyle, she now follows a vegetarian diet, stays away from fizzy drinks, and sometimes allows herself the "odd biscuit." Highlighting her enthusiasm, Linda shared: "Life can change in a split second. I'm determined to give everything a go. I'm doing more in my 60s than I've ever done. I can't think of anything worse than retiring. I'd be bored out of my mind! ".