ITV Celebrity Big Brother Fern Britton forced to defend herself over ...

Fern Britton, who is currently appearing in Celebrity Big Brother, was forced to defend herself following an incredible five-stone weight loss, fending off accusations that she'd 'lied' about her fitness journey.

The TV presenter, now 66, took steps to improve her lifestyle as she approached 50, and in 2011 revealed she had shed a staggering five stone.

Ealing-born Fern, who was 53 years old at the time, claimed she was by that point able to fit into the same clothes she wore as a 24-year-old thanks to her efforts, and could even do the splits.

Wanting to be honest about her transformation, Fern admitted that she'd had a gastric band fitted in the summer of 2006 - leaving some fans decidedly unimpressed.

Fern was the face of Ryvita at the time, and some perceived her stance on healthy eating as hypocritical. In response to the fierce criticism, Fern insisted she hadn't been dishonest, telling the Mail Online: "I hadn't lied. No one ever asked me how I'd lost weight. It's something I did for myself, and I naively thought I'm entitled to privacy, but clearly I'm not."

The former star of This Morning went on to explain that she'd had the band fitted for health reasons, and that it had dramatically improved her quality of life. Fern explained: "My cholesterol was high. My knee joints were starting to hurt. I wasn't able to run. I was approaching 50 and I thought, 'Do you know what? I'm going to be different when I'm 50'.

"I was cycling like mad and nothing was happening. My GP said I was a good candidate for a band, so I went ahead. I needed to get healthy. I wasn't unhappy the way I was; I was unhealthy. I'd been recovering from having children, having a divorce, all those emotional things."

Confessing that she had turned to food for 'self-comfort' during rocky times, Fern added: For me [the band has] worked. I've got good cholesterol now. I'm incredibly fit. I'm the same size I was at 24. I can do the splits."

One of the more common forms of weight loss surgery, a gastric band reduces the capacity of a person's stomach and slows down the passage of food.

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