Failing Pauline: Fears as TV star piles on stones
She lost more than 8st for health reasons, but now she’s losing her weight battle again, and there are…
Seen just days ago in Hertfordshire, our exclusive pictures reveal that Pauline Quirke has piled on the pounds.
The actress, who plays Sharon in Birds Of A Feather, was dressed in a loose pastel-pink coat and woolly hat as she filmed scenes for the show’s Christmas special.
Pauline’s struggle with her weight is no secret, or the fact that she dropped a dramatic 8st in 2011 on a liquid diet.
‘I was nearly the size of a sumo wrestler,’ she admitted of her almost 20st weight. The TV star went from a size 28 to a slim size 12.
But the 58-year-old is clearly failing in her weight battle again, which is sure to be a disappointment – not least as the mum-of-two’s chief motivation for slimming down was not for vanity, but serious health concerns.
In her autobiography, Where Have I Gone?, she said, ‘Because I was overweight, I was unhealthy. I’d had a back disc removed in 1991, I had gestational diabetes in 1994 when I was pregnant, and had to have a hip replacement in 2009. Then I fractured an ankle that wouldn’t heal properly.’
Speaking in 2011, the actress vowed that she would never put the weight back on, saying, ‘This isn’t the case of a fat girl jumping ship. I needed to do this. People say everyone puts it back on. I can’t. That’s what I’ve learnt. Unless people force-feed me a kebab, the weight won’t go back on.’
But sadly, despite her protestations, Pauline has definitely put some of the weight back on, which will surely come as a blow to her.
Dietitian Helen Bond ( helenbond.co.uk) tells best, ‘After Pauline lost all of that weight in 2011, it looked as if she went down to around 12st and a size 12, but I believe she is at least 14 ½ st now – and a dress size 18 – making her clinically obese again.’
Helen’s advice to Pauline is to remember that ‘there are no quick fixes, and sensible weight loss would be 1-2lb a week on a healthy-eating plan’.
However, that will come as no comfort to the Birds Of A Feather star, who must be well aware of the tough challenge that lies ahead.
No doubt, like all of us, she will be putting effort into a new health regime in the New Year.
New Year, New Pauline? We wish her all the best.
‘I was nearly the size of a sumo wrestler… And because I was overweight, I was unhealthy’