Lenny binned biscuits and booze to shed three stone in diabetes battle

HE has long been known for his big personality but Lenny Henry has amazed fans with his new slimmed-down look. The picture above left was taken in February 2012, and the picture on the right was taken last week.

Now it has emerged that he has lost more than three stone thanks to a diet of broccoli and long runs.

The comedian, 59, who showed off his trim figure this week, has been trying to lose weight since 2014, when he admitted he was ‘a little bit diabetic’ and undertook a health regime that appears to be paying off.

He vowed at the time to cut out alcohol and Hobnob biscuits. His mother Winifred also suffered from diabetes, which resulted in artery problems and a double leg amputation. Speaking at the launch of BBC4 documentary Unsung Heroines: The Lost World Of Female Composers in London, he said: ‘What’s my secret?

‘Well, it’s eating broccoli and not much else. I’ve also been running a lot. It has worked.’

Broccoli has been hailed by experts for reversing damage caused by diabetes.

Lenny, who turns 60 in August, split from his comic wife Dawn French in 2010 after 25 years of marriage. They have a daughter, Billie, who is 27.

But it’s not just diet he is focused on. Earlier this month the star revealed he is studying the piano: ‘I’m grade four and I’m very proud,’ he said. ‘I started when I was 40 but stopped and I’m about to start again.

‘People who stop learning things at a certain age, their brains will go downhill.

‘I want to be doing something continually that makes me go, “What is this?”’