An advert for a diet plan backed by Loose Women star Denise Welch has been banned for showing "unsafe" levels of weight loss.The 56-year-old became the face of LighterLife in 2013 after losing two stone in just two months.However the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) ruled that the LighterLife ad can no longer use before and after pictures of the television star, as they say her weight loss is faster than regulations class as safe.
Denise Welch shared a picture of her weight loss on Twitter this week
Denise has criticised the ruling, saying she feels better after slimming down and that weight loss companies are "trying to help us, and yet they aren't even allowed to tell us what they can do for us".According to the NHS, the current recommended "safe rate" for weight loss is up to two pounds a week. However on LighterLife's 600 calorie a day diet the star lost weight at almost double that rate.LighterLife said Denise was overweight with a "very high" waistline when she began her programme, which put her at high risk of health problems. While she lost more than 2lb a week, they added that the rate was in line with expected results for people in a very low calorie diet and was not incompatible with medical guidelines.However the ASA said that a weight loss of more than 2lbs a week was "unlikely" to be in line with good medical and nutritional practice.
Denise Welch pictured at the 2014 Pride Of Britain awards
Denise spoke to HELLO! about her weight loss before her wedding last year, saying that she was spurred into action after tipping the scales at 11 stone 5lbs. "I hadn't been that weight since I was pregnant. It wasn't about trying to become stick thin or reaching a certain size. I just knew it was unhealthy for me to be so big. I know 11 stone 5 isn't obese but for me who should be around 9 and a half stone it was."