Vanessa Feltz is reaping the rewards of her lifestyle overhaul and appears to be feeling more confident than ever! The This Morning star looked sensational in a strapless swimsuit as she showed off her impressive three and a half stone weight loss in a snap shared on her fiancé Ben Ofoedu's Instagram page on Tuesday. The couple are currently enjoying a romantic break in the sunshine, and Ben certainly seems to approve of Vanessa's new look as he captioned the image of her with several fire emojis.
The 57-year-old is now down to a size 12 after undergoing surgery for a gastric band after years of struggling with yo-yo dieting. She also admitted that her weight loss has improved her relationship with Ben, recently telling Woman magazine: "I love a négligée - I've got some fabulous satin ones which I think are absolutely irresistible to Ben. I don't think he'd have cared if I hadn't lost an ounce, but he likes the confidence."
Vanessa looks amazing!
Vanessa's weight loss hasn't come without its troubles though, as she admitted earlier this year that she has faced severe complications because of the band she had fitted in 2010. Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on This Morning in March, she revealed: "I’d rather tell the truth than not. I’d rather be open as I’ve got nothing to hide. So, I spoke with you before about the gastric band I had fitted in 2010, and it turned out to be much more complicated - it turned out it had slipped, and I was having horrible symptoms and waking up feeling as if I was drowning, my throat, ears, eyes, nose seemed to be full of liquid. It was all quite horrible and quite unexpected.”
Vanessa and Ben have been engaged since 2006
She added: “I was told by a surgeon that I would have to have the band removed and he said you know what will probably happen, when it comes out you’ll start eating again and you’ll put the weight on again because you’re a lifelong yo-yo dieter - and unfortunately I am, it’s true. Did that worry me? Yes.” Vanessa was given an alternative option of having a gastric bypass at the same time as having the band removed. A gastric bypass is where surgical staples create a small pouch at the top of the stomach, which is connected to the small intestine, thus bypassing the rest of the stomach meaning you eat less.
Vanessa has struggled with her weight for years
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Vanessa explained she was initially against the idea but then in January she decided to go for it. Speaking of the operation, she said: "It turned out the gastric band had been thoroughly embedded in my liver and it had to be very carefully dissected out and that took some time, it had also caused a hernia that had to be repaired." However, following her recovery, Vanessa is now feeling better than ever. She added: "Any drowning feeling or reflux [from the gastric band] that’s gone, and I’ve lost just under three stone. Which is great because it’s good for my joints, it's good for the heart, diabetes, and really good for buying clothes! I’m loving that. And I’m generally a bit less interested in eating food.”
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