Katie & Giancarlo

CHUFFED Katie Caldesi says her husband Giancarlo has gone “from Eeyore to Tigger” after taming his diabetes.

He shed three stone – while supportive Katie dropped a stone herself after ditching pasta and sugar-laden foods for healthy salads, more vegetables and fresh dairy, fish and meat.

The couple run two busy restaurants and love Italian food. But six years ago Giancarlo, 65, went to his doctor with sore eyes and was told he had diabetes, which can damage blood vessels in the retina.

He also had high blood pressure, arthritis in his knees and his waistband was a belt-busting 54in.

His wife’s weight had also crept up as she taste-tested new recipes.

Katie, 54, of Gerrards Cross, South Bucks, said: “I’d married someone who bounced around like Tigger and over the years he’d turned into Eeyore. It was hard to motivate Giancarlo to do anything. Me and our two teenage boys Giorgio, 17, and Flavio, 15, would try to get him to come out walking with us and he’d say he was too tired. Around the same time Giancarlo was diagnosed with diabetes, I was suffering from IBS and thought I was gluten intolerant. So we cut it out, which meant getting rid of bread and pasta. “We both started losing weight and decided to embark on a low-carb diet to tackle his diabetes.

“After two years I’m down from a size 12 to 10 and I dropped a stone to 10st 8lb– which I haven’t been since I was 16.”

Giancarlo used to have blood sugar levels of 7.9 but now falls within the healthy 4-6 band.

His blood pressure is fine and energy levels have improved.

Giancarlo, down from 17st 4lb to 14st 4lb, said: “I don’t really call a low-carb diet a diet as it’s more like a change of lifestyle, altering my consumption of sugar and pasta. Being Italian I still miss my pasta and desserts but it’s worth it to feel this healthy.”

My Tigger had turned into Eeyore but he’s got his bounce back again KATIE CALDESI DIET WIFE