Dr Sumi Dunne Op-Trans has a new doctor this year. Donal O’Donoghue meets Dr Sumi

Operation Transformation returns this week with a new doctor in tow. So farewell Dr Ciara and hello to Dr Sumi! Donal O’Donoghue gets the low down from OT’s latest GP

Christmas is the cruellest time for the Operation Transformation leaders. With the rest of the world tucking into treats, they are haunted by images of Lycra body stockings and swimming trunks. Their future is mapped out in a daily ritual of exercise, in weekly radio and TV appearances, their bodies in thrall to the weighing scales, their story unfolded to the nation for all to see and hear. That takes courage or madness or a bit of both. For eight weeks, a doctor prods them, a dietitian cajoles them, a personal trainer drills them into running rainy roads in the winter darkness and a psychologist picks through their mental well-being.

Dr Mousumi ‘Sumi’ Dunne is the latest addition to team OT, following in the steps of doctors Ciara Kelly and Eva Orsmond. Sumi lives in Portarlington, County Laois, where she works as a GP while also maintaining a career in academia as a clinical lecturer in the Department of General Practice at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. “I like new and different challenges and Operation Transformation was something I’d never done before,” she says of her latest venture. Born in London, Dr Dunne moved to Laois in 1999 (following her now husband, Matt) where she has four children, two golden retrievers and a clutch of hens. “I believe in tough love,” says the good doctor (“just call me Sumi”) who has a box at the foot of the stairs into which all phones and devices must be deposited before bed-time. I believe we have another OT star in the making.

So we rang her in Portarlington – also the home base of Operation Transformation’s resident psychologist, Dr Eddie Murphy – to hear her thoughts on the five leaders who will be braving the elements and putting themselves in the spotlight over the coming two months, an inspiration to the country and all those who struggle with new year resolutions and getting into their clothes.

Siobhán O’Brien Age: 30 Location: Clonsilla, Dublin 15 Start weight: 17st 4.5lbs

“I think Siobhán is brilliant. For a nyone who is a role model in a local community, and Siobhán is a teacher, sometimes your harshest critics can be the people that you work with. She wants to make a change; she wants to be a role model and she wants her students to see her as such. The change is not only for herself but for all those people around her at school and elsewhere. She is a leader and a role model.”

Paul Murphy Age: 41 Location: Tubbercurry, Co Sligo Start weight: 20st

“Paul is manager and owner of Murphy’s Hotel and he works so hard in the family business. Not only has he got a young family (eightyear-old Ava and one-year-old Ethan) but he also looks after extended family as well. I love his candour and honesty; someone who admits that he is ‘a top shelf man’ as in the top shelf of sweets in the shop. His bloods reveal that his cholesterol is creeping up, but he’s willing to do whatever needs to be done.”

Cathal Gallagher Age: 48 Location: Ballyshannon, Co Donegal Start weight: 26st 12.5lbs

“Cathal is a paramedic and is the heaviest ever leader on Operation Transformation. He is very aware of the challenges that lie ahead. He has type-2 diabetes and high cholesterol and is already on medication for these. For Cathal, this is going to be a challenging journey but we are there to support him. Over the years he has known loss and this has sent him to comfort eating and not looking after himself. This is a particularly challenging case for all concerned.”

Jean Tierney Age: 33 Location: Bruff, Co Limerick Start weight: 15st 1lb

“Talk about someone having a horrendous 2018. Five days after she was born, Jean’s baby Sloane passed away from a heart defect. When I first heard Jean’s story, I could not stop crying. She told her story with such, grace and humility and love. Now I believe Jean needs support with OT, which she is doing for herself, to allow her best self to come through. Ten weeks before we met she had yet another miscarriage and despite that, she is still focused on wanting to be healthy and to move forward and change. I don’t cry much as a GP but I was moved to tears by her story.”

Pamela Swayne Age: 36 Location: Youghal, Co. Cork Start weight: 13st 12.5lbs

“As soon as she said ‘I’m hot as feck’ I thought we have to have this woman on TV! Her cholesterol is the highest of all our leaders this year and Pamela was unaware of that. So from my perspective as a GP, we’ll be investigating what changes can be applied to Pamela’s life over the duration of OT. Her four children are also close in age to mine, ranging from 18 to four, and she is a busy woman, but she also admitted to climbing back into bed with one of the little ones so that’s one of the things the other OT experts will be keeping a close eye on!”

I believe in tough love